Racing Legends
by ShinkouPrincess
Summary: Inuyasha Takahashi is the famous undefeatable racecar driver known as the Legend. In comes Kagome Higurashi, a rookie driver who takes his life by storm when she becomes his main competitor and changes everything. Is his focus still on racing...or her?
1. Prologue

**Racing Legends**  
Prologue

A/N: K, so as you can tell this story is about racing and I am basing it off the Formula One League.

Heres some basic information in case you don't know much about racing:

-Each race will have a pace car. Right before the race, all the drivers follow the pace car for a couple of laps to warm up on the track. Then it'll disappear into the pits, and the racers dont have to worry about it into a yellow is called.

-The pits is the long stretch of road where each car's team is in a specific spot. If the car needs gas or needs to change tires they go in there to do it. It's common for most or all of the drivers to pit on a yellow flag.

-Races are usually on Sundays. Saturdays are the days for time trials (or 'qualifiers'). Basically, each driver races and they get timed on one of their laps, and that determines where they will place in the race.

-Each flag color is important, and I'm going to be mentioning them. _Green:_ go, _Yellow:_ slow down and follow the pace car, _Red:_ stop,_ White:_ one lap left , _Checkered:_ finish.

If you still dont know that much, I'll be sort of explaining things throughout the story too, to help you.

And as another side note, I have been attending NASCAR, Formula One, and Indy races since I was a baby. So I know what I'm talking about.

Also, this wouldn't let me put any urls on here, for guidance to you guys. So if you want, look up on google an image of a Formula One car to help your memory when reading this.

And it wouldn't be bad to watch a youtube video on racing or even crashes. They're actually pretty interesting, plus if you haven't seen racing before, you can picture it better.

Besides all this racing stuff, expect a _lot_ of fluff. Romance is my favorite, but I also love angst, so be prepared :P

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

This is what his life was about. This is what he had always dreamed of: to be able to be going over two hundred and twenty miles an hour and feel the adrenaline rush of racing at high speeds.

Inuyasha Takahashi is one remarkable man. At least, that's what everyone says about him. He is the one who at age twenty-two won his first series, and now twenty-eight, has won numerous titles to give him the nickname as the 'Legend.'

Inuyasha's name is posted everywhere in Japan, for he was the guy who, after only a year of racing, became the man who is now difficult to beat.

He was now racing in Suzuka, Japan, a small track, but perfect for the first race since the last season ended. Inuyasha gripped the wheel as his car started swerving behind Koga Kimura who had the pole in leading first place. There were only two laps left, and Inuyasha knew he had to get in front of him soon to win the race.

Although this race didn't count towards the actual season, Inuyasha felt he still had to win in order to prove to everyone that he wasn't going to lose any race this summer. Inuyasha planned on winning every one and his main goal was to win the Shikon Cup at the last and most important race of the year: the Shikon Circuit.

That was another reason Inuyasha was so famous, because the Shikon Cup was hard to get. Before Inuyasha had come to the Formula One league, the record was set by thirty-six year old Naraku Murakami who won three Shikon Cups. Then last year, Inuyasha won his third in a row, giving the world something to talk about. It was also giving Inuyasha something to shoot for this year; to beat the world record and win the Shikon Cup four times before Naraku did.

Inuyasha smirked to himself, thinking of all the accomplishments he has made so far. He sure has shown the world just what he can do. Racing was his passion, ever since he was four years old and saw his first race, he fell in love. Little did he know then that it would change his life forever.

So far in the current race, Inuyasha had been coasting behind Koga, letting this man feel that he _had _a chance at winning. And after one hundred and ninety eight laps of doing that, Inuyasha couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Koga after he would see Inuyasha's car speed past him.

Coming up to the third turn in the track, Inuyasha took the opportunity to push his foot more on the pedal, feeling the car shake a little bit more from how fast he was traveling.

Inuyasha glanced over, looking through his helmet to see Koga glimpse over at him too. A smug grin on his face, Inuyasha pressed down more on the accelerator and sped past him. As the turn rounded into turn four, Inuyasha veered the car in front of Koga's and sped up a little faster, leaving at least a two second lead.

Inuyasha passed the checkered line, seeing a guy on top of a podium waving a white flag, indicating the last lap of the race. Inuyasha kept his distance ahead from the other thirty-five cars, hearing his head crew chief, Myoga, on the intercom praising him on what a great job he was doing. Inuyasha then laughed as he heard his good friend, Miroku Hayashi, start yelling about how he kicked Koga's ass.

Inuyasha continued to listen to their voices as he crossed the finish line. His eyes followed the movements of the checkered flag waving above him as he passed under the podium. Slowing his car down, Inuyasha looked around at the stands, seeing fans standing and cheering, waving flags with his car's colors of red and black.

This is what he lived for. This excitement and the feeling of doing something no one has done before. He was the first to have already won so many titles at a young age, and he was going to keep it that way. Inuyasha wanted to keep his winning streak, no matter what it took.

As he pulled into the Winner's Circle, Inuyasha unbuckled all his seat belts and slowly got out of the car, lifting his helmet off his head and tucking it under his arm.

After wiping away his sweaty bangs from his forehead, Inuyasha waved at the crowd in front of him, in front of the thousands of people screaming for _him_.

Racing has always been his love, and Inuyasha was never going to let this dream pass.

* * *

So another story, yay :) And I have to say I'm already in love with it. Plus I haven't seen any racecar stories out there, so I feel awesome with having an original story.

I have already written a couple of chapters, but I'm gonna edit through them. But lemme tell you, I haven't felt this way about a story yet. I've been writing like crazy, and my chapters are long, woo! I'm going to really enjoy writing this, and there's so many things I can do with it too.

Expect a chapter every week. I can honestly say I know I'll stick with this story because of how fun it has been to write so far.

But please review. For the whole story, you have no idea who excited they get me and make me want to write more.

Hope you liked it so far, sorry for the long note at the beginning. Chapter one will be up soon!!

_~Every Heart~_


	2. Chapter 1

**Racing Legends  
**Chapter 1

* * *

"Inuyasha, you were great!" Miroku exclaimed as, hours later after the race, he found Inuyasha standing next to his car in the vacant garage.

Inuyasha looked up, smiling as Miroku walked up next to him. Inuyasha was leaning against his most prized possession, his arms crossed and his one leg bent back so that it was resting on the side of the car. He was now dressed in black pants and a black shirt after having taken a shower from being under the hot sun earlier in the day. When racing out on the track, Inuyasha never got hot. However, it's when he gets out of the car in his layers of fire-proof suits and racing uniform that he starts to feel the heat, especially when dozens of reporters flock to him and won't let him have a moment's peace.

Inuyasha grinned, "I know," he said, pushing off against the car.

"I say, this is a great start to the season," Miroku said as he walked around the car, admiring its beauty. Miroku had also always been a race fanatic like Inuyasha. In fact, they met while they were both in high school, racing in the junior leagues. Miroku was alright, obviously not as good as Inuyasha. However, after Miroku spent some time behind the scenes and working one on one with the cars, he fell in love. Although Myoga was Inuyasha's crew chief, Miroku (who was the assistant), was hoping to take Myoga's spot when he retired. And from there on he would be at his happiest…as long as there were beautiful women around him.

Miroku enjoyed every bit of it and has been with Inuyasha ever since then.

"Shouldn't be too bad," Inuyasha commented, watching as Miroku circled the car. "The only problem is Koga, but from the looks of it, his car is nothing this year."

"Ah, but wait," said Miroku, lifting a finger up and stalling in his movements, "You forget Naraku."

"Keh," Inuyasha huffed, "Naraku is weak. Today he wiped out on what, the fiftieth lap? He's no match."

"That wasn't his fault though," Miroku said, "One of the older American drivers accidentally bumped his rear tire. But Naraku's car is pretty fast this year. From what I saw, he was trying to use his tactics to try and get that guy to run into the wall, but it backfired and he got too close to him."

Inuyasha growled as he shifted his weight to his right foot, thinking of the evil demon whose plan of winning was to knock out the other drivers first. By coming up close and swerving the car towards the other driver, or moving his car around so it freaks the other driver out, Naraku always got at least one or two drivers out each race. He always intimidated them. Even Inuyasha has been in a race where Naraku wiped out seven other drivers in devastating crashes.

He was ruthless and Inuyasha has always been disgusted at his racing. Naraku had no empathy whenever a driver is pulled off in an ambulance. It was as if he hoped that others would get killed in the race.

Inuyasha met Naraku once, and that was after a race in his first year of driving when he was almost the victim of one of Naraku's schemes. Inuyasha was driving along the steel wall when Naraku showed up next to him and tried to frighten him. But Inuyasha at that point knew what Naraku was trying to do. Going over two hundred miles an hour, Naraku brought his car close enough to Inuyasha's so that they barely touched wheel to wheel. Inuyasha's natural instinct, like others, was to whip the car away into the wall to try and dodge Naraku. But he didn't and Inuyasha ended up in third that day, whilst Naraku stayed back in fifth.

True, he was a skilled driver. Naraku could get so close to you that your first impulse is to pull away from him as quickly as you can, which always resulted in a major accident. He could alarm a driver very easily on the race track unless they were prepared for it.

"Naraku's an idiot," Inuyasha said with a snort, "And he's probably going to kill somebody if he doesn't quit it. Does the racing league not acknowledge this? He's been doing this for years and he hasn't been fired?"

Miroku sighed, "No, you know how everyone loves him in the higher positions. Ever since he gave those millions of dollars to the league, he's the 'greatest person in the world.'"

"Whatever," Inuyasha said, "He's not my problem yet. Since he ended up finishing in one of the last spots today, he's behind in points."

"Yeah, but even _if _Naraku is behind, you know he'll catch up somehow."

"Damn Miroku, you're too much of a Debbie downer," Inuyasha said, grinning at him as he started walking towards the mouth of the garage and walking out of it. The first thing he noticed was the setting sun straight ahead of him, its orange rays gliding over the track and the infield, casting long and dark shadows over the roads. A light breeze ran across his face and picked up his black hair slightly.

This was another additional benefit to this job; to be able to be in this beautiful weather.

Inuyasha then looked alongside all the garages that were lined up next to each other and noticed that mostly every single one was already locked up. It was about time Inuyasha closed his garage too and moved his racecar into the moving truck.

He also noticed formally dressed people walking towards the pit stop area where there was a party held for all of the drivers and their staff. Since it was the first race of the year, even though a 'practice race,' it was a nice way for Inuyasha to check out the new rookie drivers and see if there was anyone he had to worry about.

Miroku walked up alongside him, also watching as the people made their way along the garages and towards the pits, where he could already hear music blaring and loud chatter from the hundreds of people that must already be there.

"I hope there are new women this year," Miroku remarked with a grin gracing his face as he got lost in his dream world, thinking of sexy girls wearing tight racing suits. Miroku knew that in Formula One, sometimes women get a little crazy in this heat and hardly wear anything and-

Miroku was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts as he felt a fist collide with his head. "Ow man," Miroku said, wincing and rubbing the back of his head, "That one hurt."

"Good," said Inuyasha, smirking at his perverted friend.

"So where's Kikyo?" Miroku asked, changing the subject.

"I guess in our trailer…I'll go get her," Inuyasha said, walking away from Miroku. "I'll see you at the party, okay?"

Miroku nodded, "Sure thing," and walked the opposite way, his hand still rubbing the sore spot on his head.

Inuyasha walked back through his garage, knocking a switch on the side to close the door he just walked through. The loud sound of the door closing echoed in his ears as he walked to the other end of the small building where there was another garage door that went out to the other side.

"Ah, there you are Inuyasha!" Myoga said, appearing from the other side of the garage. "Shall I tell the men to put your car in the truck?" he asked.

Inuyasha nodded, "And tell them to look at the left wing, it looked a little bent. It might mess with the speed."

Myoga nodded, "Of course, of course, I already told them to check the car out in case there needs to be any adjustments for the race next weekend."

Inuyasha nodded in thanks as he walked out of that side of the garage, listening as Myoga flipped open his cell phone and started calling the other members of their pit crew to get the car. Inuyasha took a last glance back at his car, the shining red and black beauty, before turning around and heading towards the trailer park that wasn't that far away from the line of garages.

Every race had the special trailer park for the drivers and whoever traveled with them. Whether it was in dirt or grass (in this case, tall grass), it had enough room for several long lines of trailers. Inuyasha walked along the grass, enjoying the fresh air as he found his black trailer near the beginning of one of the lines.

"Kikyo?" he called out as opened the screen door and entered the small room. His trailer was a built in vehicle, so to the side was the driver's seat. In front of him was the small wooden kitchen table, and down on the opposite end were the beds and the tiny bathroom. Inuyasha loved traveling in this because of how it reflected him. It was all colored black and red, and posters and pictures of him and` his car decorated the walls.

"Right here," he heard his fiancé say before she exited from the bathroom. Inuyasha was taken aback at how attractive she looked, dressed in a knee-length black dress with skinny straps, her hair in a loose bun, and black high heels. She walked out, her feet clanking against the wooden floor as she fumbled with her earrings.

"We're going to be late, I've been wondering where you've been," she said as she walked up and kissed him on the cheek.

"I know, I was checking to see if my car had-"

"You really need to spend less time with that car Inuyasha," she said as she stood in front of a mirror hanging on the wall, adjusting her hair and looking at herself in every which way to make sure she looked perfect. "I mean, the race is next weekend, there's plenty of time to look over it. But right now, we have that party to go to," she said in excitement.

"Doesn't matter, I need to be ahead of everyone else, Kikyo," Inuyasha said as he walked into the bathroom. Kikyo has always been important to him. Ever since he first met her, Kikyo was the one he always ran to and always cared for. True, racing was first on his list; nothing could ever change that anyways. But Kikyo was next, and she meant a lot to Inuyasha. Furthermore, it was a good feeling to know she reciprocated his feelings.

Needing to relax a little bit, Inuyasha took off his blue rosary necklace. Looking in the mirror, he watched as his black hair slowly turned silver and small dog ears emerged at the top of his head. Twitching his ears, Inuyasha smiled, loving the feel of being a demon more than a human. He loved his senses and hated it when he had to conceal himself. In a way it was a curse, but it was the only way to protect the demons in the world.

"Let's just enjoy ourselves, shall we?" Kikyo's voice said from the other room. Inuyasha listened with his better hearing to the sound of her heels clicking on the floor as she walked around the trailer.

Inuyasha shrugged as he put his rosary back on and watched as he transformed back into his human self, already feeling the lack of hearing and smelling senses.

Exiting the bathroom, Inuyasha found Kikyo waiting by the door for him, a smile on her face. He smiled back as he took her arm and they exited together, walking through the trailer park and the garages.

After twenty minutes they ended up at the pits. Inuyasha smiled at the amount of decorations they had set up outside in the short time since the race ended. He could feel Kikyo's excitement as she walked faster, pulling Inuyasha along as he gazed at all the lights streaming overhead and balloons placed around tables. On those tables were refreshments and informational brochures on each of the drivers that were to race this season. It already felt like a good welcoming party.

The sun had now almost fully set, so the lights that were strung around the area were beautiful and intense. They were shining down on the large crowd of people below them who were drinking and talking away as they enjoyed each other's company.

In a way, some of these people were like Inuyasha's family. He saw most of them each year he came back and he had formed great bonds with a couple of them.

Looking around, Inuyasha saw a pathway to a dance floor positioned out on the track, music blaring from the DJ stand right before the rows upon rows of bleachers.

"Wow, they have really outdone themselves this year," Kikyo said as she looked around at all the decorations.

Inuyasha nodded in response. Sometimes he enjoyed these, sometimes he didn't. It depended on the day. But there were enough of them, as most of the race tracks that they went to around the world held some sort of party the night of the race.

"Inuyasha!" Inuyasha broke his thoughts as he and Kikyo turned to find Miroku coming up to them. "I have all the inside stories to the rookies already. There are-"

Kikyo let out a sound of frustration as she let go of Inuyasha's arm, "Not you guys with your 'race talk.' I'll just go socialize with some of the girls. I'll see you later Yashi," Kikyo said as she quickly pecked his cheek before walking off to a group of high-class women by the dance floor.

Miroku started laughing, "I love it when she calls you that,"

"Shut up," Inuyasha snapped as he started to feel his cheeks redden. Truth be told, he hated that nickname but never had the heart to tell Kikyo. She _was_ his fiancée after all, she should be allowed to call him whatever she wants.

"Speaking of ladies, there are so many here!" Miroku exclaimed, throwing his arms out to emphasize the amount, "I've already talked to a couple, and man, were they so-"

"Miroku!" Inuyasha yelled out, causing Miroku to come out of his reverie, "what were you saying about the rookies?"

"Oh…yeah!" Miroku said as he remembered what he was saying, "Here, let me show you," and he walked away towards a table off to the side filled with colorful brochures.

"Here, this is the rookie table, look at each of these. I met two of them, there are four total this year."

Inuyasha nodded as he picked up the first brochure, a big picture of an older chubby guy staring up at him with a toothy grin.

"Well, he looks intimidating," Inuyasha joked as he set the brochure down, knowing that he didn't have to worry about him.

"Yeah," Miroku said, chuckling, "He's nothing. I looked at his stats, he's lucky to have even made it into this league. He's from Germany. And that next one isn't really anything to worry about. I met him also, he's a Russian. From what I've heard his car is fast, but he's a terrible driver unless he really focuses. But I've also heard that too is a problem for him," Miroku said with a small smirk, "But this next one might be a toughy if he pushes himself," Miroku said pointing at the next orange colored packet of paper.

Inuyasha just looked at it, seeing a man, probably younger than him. He had brown hair flipped to the side, and the picture showed him waving to an audience unknown in the picture. He was sitting in his car and his overly big smile annoyed Inuyasha.

"I don't like him," Inuyasha stated as he turned the page of one of his brochures, looking at his statistics.

"I met him," Miroku said, pointing at something within the pages Inuyasha was holding, "His name is Hojo and he has his on and off days, but when's he's on, he can be _on_. Actually, he's right over there," Inuyasha followed his finger and saw a group of men standing to the side not far from them laughing at something someone said. Inuyasha immediately found this 'Hojo' who looked like a goofy kid. He looked as if he wasn't even old enough to even be racing in this league.

"He's a shrimp," Inuyasha said as he turned around back to the table.

"Yeah, but we might as well be careful and watch him. I'll be keeping my eye on him during the time trials."

"Wait," Inuyasha said, making Miroku turn his head around, "I thought you said there were four…how come there are only three people here...?"

"Ah, this is what I need to talk to you about," Miroku said, leaning a hand against the table. "Well, I'm guessing that her crew didn't make up a pamphlet-"

"_Her_?!"

Miroku nodded smiling. "The first woman to race in Formula One."

"Keh, she's probably nothing," Inuyasha said, crossing his arms and turning slightly so that he could half-sit against the table.

"Actually…no," said Miroku, "I've been talking to a couple of people, and that Hojo guy apparently grew up with her. But they all say she's good. Well better than good. She's from Tokyo and she has outstanding times, and they all say her car is one of the fastest they've-"

"They're probably just trying to scare you."

"Maybe, but a _lot _of people said the same thing, so it must be true. She's the one I'm really going to be watching next weekend for you."

"I still say she's nothing. She's a girl anyways, a girl won't be able to handle this," Inuyasha said, his eyes now traveling over the large crowd that formed for the party. He saw a lot of familiar faces walking around, some smiled at him and Inuyasha did a nod in return to each one.

"Say that now, but all I'm saying is that you have to be prepared for her, from what I've heard she's an amazing driver."

"What's this girl's name anyways?"

"Kagome Higurashi, age 23."

"Keh, she's a child! But we'll see about her. I doubt a woman rookie driver would be able to handle any of this at all. There are too many rough men out there, some of them will do whatever it takes to place high."

"I guess we'll just see at the time trials."

Suddenly both men noticed a presence in front of them and looked up to find Hojo standing before them, a large grin on his face.

"Inuyasha Takahashi, right?" Hojo said, his large shining eyes staring at Inuyasha. He grabbed Inuyasha's hand and started shaking it hard, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Hojo Akitoki. Wow, I can't believe I'm meeting _the_ legend! I'm a big fan Inuyasha, if I may say so. Your times are outstanding and…"

Inuyasha stopped listening to the rambling boy as he jerked his hand away.

"Hojo," Miroku cut in, making Hojo finally be quiet. Inuyasha was thankful. God that's boy's voice was aggravating.

"We were just talking about Kagome," Miroku continued, and was about to open his mouth to say more but was interrupted by the talking boy.

"Kagome, oh Kagome, we went to high school together, you know, Inuyasha," Hojo said, his focus away from Miroku and on Inuyasha again, "She is a wonderful person, so beautiful and kind and-"

"And what about her racing?" Inuyasha snapped, getting _very_ annoyed with Hojo _very_ quickly.

"She's just about the greatest racer I know, oh besides you of course, Inuyasha," he said bowing his head quickly, "When we were qualifying for this league she had the best time out of all of us, and there were around twenty. Oh, she's so amazing, Kagome is the most-"

Inuyasha blocked Hojo's rambling voice out of his head again as he walked away without saying a word, heading towards the refreshments table to grab a drink.

A bartender was there as Inuyasha ordered a beer, gulping it down as he turned towards the main area again to watch as people mingled. Some went over and started to dance on the track where the DJ just changed the song again. He briefly saw Kikyo, but his mind was too distracted to think about her right now.

Apparently this Kagome was good, he got that much. Crushing his plastic cup in his hand and throwing it in the garbage next to him, Inuyasha leaned against a table near by, his thoughts thinking about this _Kagome_. He wondered what she looked like, what her car was like, how fast it went, what her personality was like. Was she tough enough to be in this league, full of men?

Inuyasha has seen women qualify for Formula One, but they were all too weak. They always slowed down when they went too fast or got too close to somebody. To him, women were pussies. They all feared crashing and you were bound to crash at least once in your career. So why do they even bother racing if they fear it? They'll go nowhere.

She was probably nothing. Kagome was probably just another girl who happened to be first in the qualifiers, but was still too frightened to go fast in the midst of many other cars.

Inuyasha stood there, thinking about her, clearly intrigued. Who was this woman?

"Inuyasha!" Inuyasha snapped his head up to find a somewhat angry Miroku in front of him. "You_ left _me with him! Do you know how hard it is to shut him up?"

Inuyasha laughed, patting Miroku's shoulder. "Go grab a beer and relax."

Miroku sighed and turned towards the bartender, asking for a drink as Inuyasha tried to force himself to stop thinking about this 'mystery woman.'

Miroku quickly slurped down his beer, thirsty from walking around and mingling with various people. It's what he did; Miroku loved meeting others, and he always loved the first party of the season because that's where you get to see all the new faces, and most importantly of all, see if there were any single women.

It was now fully nighttime, the moon shining straight above them. It was loud and Inuyasha could tell that everyone was having a good time. He and Miroku stood there in comfortable silence, enjoying the summer air and the exciting atmosphere.

More people were now heading over to the dance floor as techno music started playing. Some people screamed at the new song, noticeably thrilled about it, and Inuyasha watched in amusement as a lot of people really got into it.

"Want to head over there?" Miroku asked, gesturing towards the part in the track where everyone was dancing.

Inuyasha shrugged, "Sure, why not."

They both walked over, exiting the pits and walking along the red carpet that led them to the track. They both entered the dancing area and moved off to the side. Inuyasha scanned the crowd for Kikyo, but found no luck within the mass of sweaty dancing bodies.

"Hmm, who to pick," Miroku muttered to himself, his finger tapping his chin lightly as his eyes looked around.

"Do you see Kikyo?" Inuyasha asked, getting frustrated knowing that if he could just let himself be a demon right now he would find her much faster.

And just then, a woman looking in her early twenties with a low cut shirt and a mini skirt walked by, her face inclined towards Inuyasha and Miroku as she winked at them and flipped her long blonde hair behind her shoulder.

"Found one!" Miroku said as he walked off after her. Inuyasha watched as he grabbed her hand and started saying things he couldn't hear to her, probably perverted things such as 'will you bear my child?' Why does he even ask that?

But from the looks of it, she was definitely taking a liking to Miroku.

Turning his attention back to the crowd, Inuyasha examined it, finally seeing Kikyo. He started moving towards her but abruptly stopped when he saw her dancing with another man. Taking a couple steps to the side to try and get a better view of the man, Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as soon as he recognized Naraku's face.

Inuyasha stood there in rage, his hands balling up into fists as he watched Naraku grind behind his fiancée. Inuyasha's heart wrenched at seeing Naraku's disgusting hands run up and down her thighs and started pushing her dress up.

Not wanting to watch it any more, Inuyasha stormed his way towards them, ready to punch the little fucker if he had to. They both saw Inuyasha and immediately stopped. Kikyo had a shocked look on her face, as if she didn't think Inuyasha would find them like this, and Naraku stood there with an evil grin.

"What the fuck Kikyo?!" Inuyasha screamed as he grabbed her shoulder and jerked her away from Naraku.

"Don't touch me, Inuyasha!" Kikyo screamed, pushing away from his grasp.

"We were just having a little fun," Naraku said, his voice deep and haunting.

"Don't touch _my_ fiancée like that, Naraku!"

"He can touch me however he wants to!"

"No he can't Kikyo!" Inuyasha yelled in her face. "You're marrying me, not him!" By then most of the people around them stopped moving and just stood and stared. Inuyasha ignored them and grabbed Kikyo's arm and started dragging her away, desperately wanting to leave. Inuyasha was hurt on the inside that Kikyo would let Naraku of all people touch her like that. Especially with a couple of months left until their wedding. Is this what it was going to be like with Kikyo? She said he meant everything to her, so why does she do this?

"_Let go_!" Kikyo screamed as she dug her nails into Inuyasha's arm.

"We're leaving."

"No, _I'm_ not!" she screamed again.

"Just leave your little pet here with me, Inuyasha," Naraku said, causing Inuyasha to stop in his tracks and look behind him. "Obviously _your_ fiancée likes my touching. Just give her to me so we can get back to our evening together."

With that Inuyasha let go of Kikyo and walked right up to Naraku's face, who stood there with his demonic smile that pissed Inuyasha off even more. Inuyasha brought his fist back and punched Naraku square in the face. Inuyasha watched in satisfaction as Naraku stumbled back, obviously not expecting Inuyasha to create physical contact.

"Inuyasha!" Inuyasha heard Miroku come up behind him and yank on both his arms, holding him back from taking another step.

Naraku wiped blood from his nose, and yanked his head up, his eyes glaring at Inuyasha with such intensity that it almost had him back away.

"You'll pay for that," Naraku said as he stalked forward, but was forced back as Koga appeared out of nowhere and held him back.

"Let go of me!" Naraku yelled, trying to move forward. Koga held him still.

"Enough of this!" Koga yelled, pulling at the struggling man.

"Inuyasha," Miroku said, his mouth near Inuyasha's ear, "Just walk away right now. You could be kicked out for this. Just go. Leave Kikyo here if you have to. I'll watch her. Just calm down."

Miroku kept muttering to Inuyasha until he visibly calmed down and Miroku let him go.

"Kikyo, you're coming back with me," he said, taking her hand and walking away, dragging her with him.

"You just ruined my night! I hope you're happy Inuyasha!" Kikyo yelled, giving up in trying to escape from him.

"Oh well," he said as they walked back to their trailer, done for the night.

* * *

So, more of an informational chapter than anything.

But guess who comes in next chapter? :P

Anyways, I know it hasn't been a week, but I wanted to put something else up with the prologue. So here you go, another chapter in 2 days.

And thanks to my reviewers: **amkess09,** Minsu, **HeidiBax, demonhybrid13.**  
They made me happy because it made me feel like this story was a good idea after all. Thank you.

Please review again! And Chapter 2 will be here in a week.

:]

_~Every Heart~_


	3. Chapter 2

**Racing Legends**  
Chapter 2

* * *

This was it. Her whole life she had spent studying racecars and racing the smaller versions in order to get here. Racing in the Formula One League has always been her dream and now here she was after having driven six hours to get to the Sendai Race Track.

And now that she was finally finished with college (which was mostly her mother's decision), Kagome finally had the time to go for her dreams. She wanted to show the world that she wasn't an innocent woman, she was ready to kick all these guy's butts and finish in a top spot at the most important race of all, the Shikon Circuit.

Kagome has always been a driven person. Her mom used to tell her that all the time. Kagome always listened to the stories her mom told her about how when Kagome was a little girl she didn't care about dolls and all that; but racecars. She would build her own with legos or get remote-controlled cars and race her brother. Then when she came to the age of ten, Kagome was old enough to race in the mini junior league, where the cars barely went up to forty miles an hour.

However, she always got teased. Her mom always told her all the boys were jealous since they kept losing to a girl. With her family's support and her determination, Kagome continued her way through each race and each league, fighting her way to the top to get her close to pursuing her life-long dream.

And now here she was…the first race she would actually compete in.

Kagome smiled as she walked out of her trailer and into the morning sun. It was Saturday morning, hours before the time trials. She was nervous about what was going to happen later in the day and how she would do, especially with a car she wasn't quite used to yet.

Kagome knew too, that sometimes how you do in a race depends on how well you time at the qualifiers. That is why today was so important, especially since it was her first one and she didn't want to start her first Formula One race in the back.

Kagome stepped down from the steps and sat down in a chair outside of their camper. She looked around, noticing a couple of people walk by, but seeing that hardly anyone was up right now at this early hour.

They drove here last night: her mom, brother, and her dear friend Sango. Sango had always supported Kagome with racing. They met in college, and have been inseparable since. Sango knows everything there is to know about cars and Kagome asked her to join their team. Of course Sango couldn't refuse, so now she works in the pit crew and is in charge of all the car mechanics.

By the time Kagome woke up, Sango was already gone, probably checking on her car that came up with the rest of the team last night. Kagome was itching to go see it, but right now she just wanted to relax before she would be running around making sure everything is ready and perfect for the time trials. Kagome knew it was going to be a stressful day.

Kagome was one of the last ones to qualify today, so at least she got the chance to watch the other drivers race and see how they do. She also wanted to get the chance to meet some of them. There were a lot of good drivers here, like Koga Kimura, who was pretty decent, and John Stark, the American driver who always finished in the top five. Then there was Naraku Matsumoto, the cold-blooded dangerous driver. Kagome was unsure if she wanted to shake hands with him. He used to be the top in the league and even won the infamous Shikon Cup four years in a row, which is incredible. Naraku was good, but whenever Kagome watched a race with him in it, she always noticed how it seemed like he was trying to get other drivers to crash. The way he would go up right next to them and force them into the wall, it really did look like that was his intent.

But who she was anxious to meet…in a way, was Inuyasha Takahashi. He was named the 'legend' and Kagome had to admit that he was an incredible driver. For six years now he has worked his way to the top, and has, in the past four years, won the Shikon Cup. This year, Kagome knew it was going to be a huge competition for Inuyasha and Naraku to see who can get the record-breaking fourth Shikon Cup.

Even though Kagome loved the way Inuyasha raced, he was another one she was not exactly enthused about meeting. She's seen many of his interviews and he always yelled at his pit crew and gives off insulting remarks to the reporters or the people around him. Kagome never liked anyone with a bad attitude, and it was obvious this legend had one.

Suddenly, Kagome was snapped out of her thoughts as a cool wind brushed her bare skin. Maybe it wasn't that bright of an idea to sit out in the morning with only shorts and a tank top. In the distance, just over the tall bleachers that blocked her view from the horizon, Kagome could still see the small sliver of the sun rising.

Thinking it was time to get ready; Kagome went back into their camper, careful not to wake her mother or Sota as she hopped in the shower, enjoying the warm water running against her skin.

Kagome's mother has always been supportive of her. She's been to every single race since Kagome was ten years-old, along with her equally supportive brother, Sota. Now in his last year of high school, he's excited to be able to go to different places with Kagome and their mother and be able to be right there in the bleachers, watching his sister _really_ race with the pros.

Stepping out of the shower and drying her hair with a towel, Kagome grabbed the clothes she set on the toilet and changed. Today she wore jeans and a white tank top, leaving her wet hair down for the time being.

Walking out of the small bathroom, Kagome saw her mom now sitting up from her bed and rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Oh Kagome, you're awake," Kagome's mom said as she stretched back her arms and yawned.

"Yeah, I'm going to head over to the garages, okay?" said Kagome as she sat down next to her mother and started brushing her hair, wincing as she pulled at the knots.

"Of course. I'm sure it'll be a while until Sota wakes up," Mrs. Higurashi smiled at the young boy, who seemed to be in an uncomfortable position with his legs hanging off the side of his bed and the upper part of his body bent the opposite way. Snoring was heard, and Kagome grinned at the sound.

"He was snoring all night," Kagome said as she set the brush down next to her.

"Yeah, well school just ended for him. He needs his beauty sleep."

Kagome smiled and took in a deep breath, her heart already racing. Kagome kept wondering how she was going to race later if this nervousness gets any worse, which she knew from past experience that it will.

Kagome felt arms go around her shoulders and looked to the side to see her mom pulling her into a hug. "Your father would be proud, Kagome," she said softly.

Kagome nodded as she pulled away. Her father was one of the main reasons she had decided to get into racing, him being a driver himself.

"Just be careful okay?" Her mom said as she grabbed Kagome's hand.

"Don't worry mom, really," Kagome said, "It's just time trials. And you know I'm careful."

Her mom nodded.

"But I'll see you later okay? If I don't see you by the pits, I'm guessing you're going to be in the suite?"

"Yeah, suite six I believe it is, right above the end of the pits."

Kagome nodded and headed towards the door and opened it, "Bye mom!" and she walked out, seeing the sun a little bit higher and now a half-circle.

Grabbing her black flip flops at the bottom of the steps, she slipped them on and made her way to the garages. She passed a line of trailers on her way, not seeing that many people as of yet out and getting ready.

Kagome took her time, loving the feel of the morning wind on her face. She could smell food from somewhere and her stomach growled. Maybe there will be something by the garage for her.

Making her way through the tall grass, she finally ended up at the road, following it as it curved a little and led her to a long row of tan garages. Some were open and some were closed. The ones that were open were already busy, people walking in and out of them, pushing tires and other car parts in and out. Kagome heard the sound of drills and machinery and even the rumble of a car starting up in the distance.

_Let's see, I'm in number twenty two…_, Kagome thought as she made her way along the rows. Excitement flooded through Kagome's body and she couldn't help but smile as she looked into each open garage, loving the smell of gasoline and listening to people talk over the sound of drills.

This was her life now and she was determined to give it her all in her first year.

Finally making it to Garage 22, Kagome walked in, seeing her purple racecar before her. She smiled, looking at her car for the second time, since she just got it earlier that week. Her sponsors were plastered all over the car with two thick white stripes that weaved around each other. She went up to her most prized possession and ran a hand along the side of it as she walked forward, feeling the cool metal slide against her fingers.

"There you are Kagome!" Kagome grinned and turned around, recognizing the voice of her best friend, "Aren't you excited?!" Sango stood there with a loose ponytail and in shorts and a white t-shirt covered in car grease. She was wiping a wrench with a towel before she flipped a few strands of hair behind her.

Kagome laughed, "Yeah, I really am. But right now, my nerves are starting to kick in."

"Eh, it'll be alright," Sango said as she clapped a hand on Kagome's shoulder, "You know you'll smoke all these guys' asses. I've heard some people talking about the new 'girl' driver and if she's good or not. Psh, they don't know what's coming to them."

Kagome smiled. Sango always cheered her up.

"So any updates on my car?" Kagome asked as she circled it, checking it out.

"Nope, not really. Me and some of the guys tested out the engine earlier and checked under the hood. You're all set to go." Sango smiled with two thumbs up and Kagome giggled, feeling a little giddy at the feeling of happiness in the pit of her stomach. "I love getting all of this done early," Sango continued, "And now we can relax and check everyone else out until time trials. What time does it start at again?"

"Two o'clock, I believe," Kagome said as she opened up the hood to her car and checked it over, instantly smelling the car fumes.

Sango walked up next to her, watching as Kagome's eyes traveled around the engine. "Okay, well that gives us plenty of time to relax. But I'm starving; you want to go get a bite to eat? I heard they have a free breakfast in one of the suite rooms at the top of the main bleachers."

Kagome nodded, and took one last glance at her engine before shutting it.

"Wait, Kaede's here right?" Kagome asked. Kaede was an old woman, yes, but an amazing person and a genius when it comes to racecars. She was Kagome's crew chief and Kagome couldn't have asked for a better one.

"Yeah, she's been up for a while I think. I'm pretty sure right now she's checking out some of the other cars," Sango said with a smile before grabbing Kagome's arm and walking out of the garage. "Now come on, I'm so hungry."

Kagome giggled as she walked with Sango along the line of garages, both of them checking in on some of the open ones. Kagome noticed a bunch of cars she recognized from watching the races on TV. They eventually came to the last couple of garages, in which Kagome saw the familiar all-black car, which Kagome knew belonged to Naraku. She could've sworn she saw him standing there, looking at her, but she quickly turned her head away and walked with Sango up the bleachers and into the private suites.

* * *

Inuyasha grumbled to himself as he walked along the winding road inside of the track with Miroku.

"Come on, I know you're hungry, so don't be grouchy," Miroku said in a cheerful voice as he and Inuyasha made their way to the bleachers that were right behind the pits.

"Well, you didn't have to wake me up like _that_," Inuyasha growled, remembering how he woke up to Miroku literally jumping on him and yelling about the time trials later that day. Sometimes, Miroku got too excited for his own good.

"I tried waking you up for _five minutes_ and nothing happened," Miroku said as they reached the stairs and started making their way up.

"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha waved him off, and a couple minutes later they made it to the top and entered the long hallway, instantly hearing loud voices echoing from two opens suites down the row of doors.

"Is Sesshy coming this weekend?" Miroku asked.

"I doubt it, and I don't care," Inuyasha replied as they headed into the first room, and found that the wall that separated the two suites was pushed to the side so that it was one large room.

"Wow, look at the view," Miroku said as he headed over to the large windows at the other end. He stood next to it, his fingers on the glass as he gazed down at the straight track before him. Inuyasha walked next to him, his heart speeding up in anticipation at seeing the Sendai race track from a higher view. The track was what Inuyasha would call 'a beginner track.' It had five turns; the straightaway went right into a left turn, and then made a couple small turns before it ended up at the finish line. However, the track was about three miles long, so it would take around a minute and a half to make it around.

Inuyasha gazed down at the checkered finish line right below him in front of the pits. This was it; the first major race was tomorrow. He _had_ to do good today in qualifying.

"Oh look, there's the table!" Miroku said, pushing Inuyasha towards it and snapping him out of his thoughts.

Inuyasha looked at all of the bakery goods in front of him and grabbed a cinnamon bagel, taking a large bite of it as he and Miroku walked to the side of the room and stood there eating.

The room was loud with the large amount of racers and team members talking enthusiastically about the day ahead of them. Inuyasha scanned the crowd, looking for a particular person.

"Hey, have you seen Kikyo?" Inuyasha asked as he nodded to a couple of Canadian drivers walking by and waving at him.

"No, I haven't," Miroku replied as he looked around for her. After a couple of seconds, he spotted a female on the other side of the room. "Hey, is that her?" he said, pointing to the woman.

"Yeah, I think so," Inuyasha said as he finished his bagel and started walking over to her, who was that girl Kikyo was talking to? He and Kikyo were on good terms now, even after their fight a week ago, but she always seemed to disappear without him knowing where she was going.

Coming up right behind her, Inuyasha grabbed her shoulder hard and whipped her around, yelling "Kikyo, where the hell-" but stopped short when he found that it wasn't her. Embarrassed, he backed away slowly, silently cursing Miroku in his head.

The girl in front of him put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side; her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes glared daggers at him.

"Excuse me, but I'm not this 'Kikyo' and you didn't have to push me like that," she said taking a step forward at the now angry Inuyasha. What stranger would talk back to him? Does she not know who he is?

"Not my problem you look like her," Inuyasha said as he crossed his arms stubbornly and turned his head to the side.

Suddenly he felt himself behind pulled back, and he yelped at the grip she had on his hair. "My name is Kagome! Ka-go-me!" she yelled, and then let go of the lock of hair she was holding. She then turned her back on him to continue her conversation with the other girl she was talking to before, who now had a large smirk on her face.

Inuyasha opened his mouth and was about to curse at her when Miroku stepped forward. "Kagome? As in Kagome Higurashi?" he asked, causing both girls to turn and focus their attention on Miroku.

Kagome smiled and Inuyasha was taken aback at how quickly her mood had changed.

"Yes, I am," Kagome said as Miroku took her hand and kissed it, causing her to blush. So _this_ was the girl that had everyone talking.

"My name is Miroku, assistant crew chief to Inuyasha," he said, letting go of her hand and looking at the woman next to Kagome. "And who might you be?" he said as he took her hand, making her blush too.

"Sango," she said.

"My dear Sango," Miroku said as he kissed her hand, her cheeks getting darker, "Seeing you in these clothes that are covered in car oil makes you look beautiful my dear," and he kissed her hand again before dropping it. Sango stood there stunned as Kagome giggled.

"So," Kagome said, turning her head back towards Inuyasha, "You're Inuyasha Takahashi."

Inuyasha nodded.

"You ready for today?" she asked, wondering if this 'legend' could get nervous too.

"Keh," he said.

"Well I see you're the talkative type," Kagome remarked and turned her attention back to Miroku and Sango.

"Bitch," Inuyasha muttered, not realizing that Kagome heard him.

"Excuse me?" Kagome said, that pissed off look back on her face as Sango and Miroku took a tentative step back from the pair.

"You heard me," Inuyasha said, "…bitch," he finished with a smirk, happy he was getting to her.

"You're such a jerk!" she yelled out, making some people around them stop and stare at the two, "You don't even know me!"

Inuyasha shrugged, "Keh, I can already see that you're not gonna get far in this league."

"Oh and how do you know that?" Kagome inquired, her voice dropping low.

"I just do, wench," Inuyasha said.

Kagome let out a frustrated yell and was about to say something else when Inuyasha felt hands stroke the side of his arm. Looking to the side, he saw Kikyo, already dressed up in a blouse and skirt, her hair done up. She was always dressed up no matter where they went. Kikyo loved being the center of attention; Inuyasha knew that even before they started dating in high school. He glanced at the large ring on her finger that was glinting under the lights. He remembered her telling him to get her the biggest and most expensive ring he could find, and with his winnings from all the races, it wasn't hard to find an eight hundred thousand dollar ring.

_Why would she need such a big one?_ Inuyasha always thought to himself. _If she wants attention, she gets enough of it from being my fiancée._

Inuyasha always worried about what it would be like married to Kikyo…what else will she want? She seems to never be satisfied with what he gives her. However, even _if_ she was never truly content with his gifts, Inuyasha knew he would never find anyone else like her. Kikyo was his and that's all that mattered. At least someone loved him.

"Who is this?" Kikyo asked, her hand running down Inuyasha's arm.

"This is Kagome, she's one of the new rookie drivers," Inuyasha said.

"Oh, you race?" Kikyo asked, eyeing Kagome and giving her a look of disgust. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you I guess, I'm Inuyasha's fiancée." She then flashed her ring, smiling.

Kagome politely smiled in return.

Kikyo then looked at Sango and sneered at her. "Um, excuse me miss, you have something on your shirt," before walking away, her heels clacking against the ground.

"'Um, excuse me miss,'" Sango imitated in high pitch voice to Kagome who laughed, "Wow isn't that a high class snobby little-" she was cut off as Kagome hit her arm, nodding at Inuyasha. Sango then remembered that Kikyo was his significant other and snapped her mouth close, not wanting to disrespect him.

Inuyasha ignored her, however, as he was entranced at the way Kagome laughed. The way her face lit up and her eyes sparkled with enjoyment stunned him.

_Shut up,_ Inuyasha thought to himself, mentally shaking his head. He was just thinking this because Kagome sort of looked like Kikyo.

"It's okay, I feel the same way," Miroku said.

Inuyasha glared at him. "Shut it, Miroku," he said as he walked away, suddenly not in the mood to talk to anybody in that room.

Miroku looked at him walk away before turning his attention back on the two women, "He knows I don't like her. Anyways, good luck on time trials today!" Miroku said as he walked away, waving.

* * *

It was hours later and the sun was blazing in the sky, making Kagome sweat underneath all her layers of clothing. She was now in her racing uniform, white with purple stripes all along it and her sponsors' pictures running up and down the sides of her body and arms. She carried her matching helmet under her arm as she paced back and forth.

The sound of cars zooming past them filled her ears as her mind tried to concentrate on what was happening. Time trials had just started minutes ago, the racers coming out two at a time. They were allowed two practice-run laps before the last lap, which was timed. Whatever time you had determined what place you started in in the race.

Kagome's nerves were hitting her full force, her legs almost shaking as she walked back and forth…back and forth. Her gloved hand kept scratching at her head. Her hair was now pulled back in a loose ponytail, but she was sweaty and her head was getting itchy while her chaotic thoughts ran around in her head.

"Hey, calm down child," Kaede said as she stalled Kagome in her movements by putting a hand on her shoulder. "In order to do well, you must believe you will," the woman said.

Kagome nodded and glanced around at her crew. They all gave her hesitant smiles, obviously seeing her nervousness affect her.

"You need to calm down before you get out there; you know you do better when you're calm."

Kagome nodded and turned around, taking several deep breaths as two of the cars zipped by, their sounds echoing through the pits. All around her everyone was bustling and moving around. It was loud and Kagome could barely hear the announcer talk about the drivers that were currently out there. In the stands, several people came and they were half full as they watched the qualifiers race.

She finally calmed herself down for the most part. Sango walked over to her, large headset on her head and dressed in the same purple and white uniform as the rest of the team.

"Hey, you alright buddy?" she asked, throwing an arm over her shoulders as they watched the straightaway, two new cars out on the track.

Kagome nodded in response.

"Just go for it, you know you got it right? Show Inuyasha and whoever else thinks that you're not going to do well that you _can_. And then afterwards we can celebrate and watch as their mouths drop at seeing how good you are."

Kagome giggled, her nerves now almost gone.

Actually, her mind has constantly been coming back to Inuyasha. He's been on her mind all day, mostly because she kept thinking about how much of a jerk he is, etc. He's supposed to be up soon to qualify; she really wanted to see how well he did.

To the right of the pits was a large screen posted on a large pole that displayed the cars driving around the tracks, their names and pictures at the bottom of the screen. Kagome watched it, seeing that the camera was tailing the American driver John Stark and Japanese driver Koga Kimura.

"Okay, so the average time for this track is one minute and thirteen seconds," Sango said, "Luckily, Inuyasha is coming up soon so you can see his stats and see what you need to beat in order to be in the top ten. Honestly, if you could get somewhere close, or even beat Inuyasha or Naraku's times, you're set. But I know you can." Kagome nodded as Sango talked to her, her eyes watching the screen as Koga and John raced around the track, the camera giving an overhead shot from one of the helicopters flying above.

Kagome heard the roar from their cars as they made their last turn. She turned her head away from the large TV to see the two cars quickly come up the straightaway, Koga's orange blur of a car trailing about a second behind Stark's as they passed the finish line. Kagome's head turned back to the screen that was now displaying their times, and then switching to another view showing all the times so far with the six drivers that qualified.

Thirty-four more to go.

Right now, Stark was in pole position as first with a time of 1:12.67 and Koga second with 1:13.45.

"Stark's a good driver," Sango said, "But nothing you can't beat."

Kagome nodded as she and Sango continued to watch the drivers qualify. Naraku came up and beat Stark's time to take first place. That was only the significant change as more drivers came and went. Kagome saw Hojo, her ex-boyfriend, race and he placed thirty-first, which wasn't that bad considering he was a rookie. Kagome cheered for her friend when he was done qualifying. She hasn't had a chance to see him yet, but Kagome was sure she would later.

"Okay, Kagome, time to get in your car," Kaede said as she walked up to her. "You're thirty-sixth and they're up to the thirtieth qualifier now."

Kagome nodded and desperately tried to calm down her racing heart. Her fingers and toes started to tingle as she walked onto the pits and climbed into her car, the engine already on. As she sat down, she felt the familiar rumble and the car shake a little from the powerful engine. She smiled to herself as Sango and some of her other team members buckled her in.

She felt the straps tighten around her torso and she gripped the wheel. After they were finished, the other members left as Sango knelt beside the car, her arm draped over the side and telling Kagome what was happening through the intercom since she wouldn't be able to hear her over the sounds from her car.

Kagome waited patiently, her hands still on the wheel as she adjusted herself in her seat. This was her chance to show herself to the world. Already she knew she was turning heads seeing how she was the first woman in Formula One. But what she really wanted was to show that she _could _race, even if she was a girl. She was going to be a great driver like her father. It's always been her passion to race and she'll keep racing until she retires at an old age.

She felt a pat on her shoulder and Kagome looked to the other side to Kaede. "Alright, Inuyasha is out there racing right now," she said through the intercom, "You're up after these next two drivers. You ready?"

Kagome nodded and smiled, then turned back to Sango as they did their traditional handshake. Sango patted her helmet twice before getting off the pit road with Kaede. Kagome gripped the wheel tighter, her insides bubbling with excitement.

"Alright Kagome, this is all you, the other two are just about done." Kaede's voice said inside her helmet.

Kagome waited a few seconds until Kaede told her to go, in which Kagome shifted the control stick and pressed down on the accelerator, her car jerking to life as she pulled out into pit road. She saw the other driver in front of her, another rookie that she met at the qualifiers, the German Hans Schwarz. He was a very sweet guy, but he barely made it into this league.

Kagome felt the adrenaline rush as she exited the pits with Hans in front of her. Speeding up her car, the sound of reaching over two hundred miles an hour whipped past her helmet. She gripped the wheel tightly as she made her first large turn. Next were the three small turns that she had to really slow down for.

She was gaining on Hans as they made their way through the turns, her car directly behind his. As they exited that area, they made it to the last large turn that went right into the straightaway.

Pushing her foot farther down on the pedal, she thrust the car to pass Hans on the turn. Straightening the car out, Kagome looked in wonder at the amount of people in the stands holding up flags and signs with her colors on them. She pushed her car even more, seeing what it can do, hearing Kaede's voice in her helmet telling her to keep it just like that.

Kagome smiled as she got used to the car, crossing the checkered line and slowing down a bit on the first turn. She then weaved her way through the three smaller turns, her car speeding up and slowing down when necessary.

"Kagome!" Sango said, her voice echoing in Kagome's helmet as she rounded the last big turn. "This is it. Inuyasha finished with a time of roughly a minute and eleven seconds. Just get around there and you'll be way ahead of everyone else. Keep up the speed and you'll be fine. Get 'em!"

Kagome grinned, finding comfort in Sango's voice as she found herself back on the long stretch of road in front of her as she quickly gained up to the checkered line in which she would start her time.

Now she was hardly nervous, but more excited than anything to show everyone what this 'girl' can do.

Crossing the line, she glanced around her at the pits and the stands and found everyone a blur as she sped up her car, desperate to get the fastest time she can get. Slowing the car just a little bit, she turned it on the first turn again, feeling gravity pull her to the side and towards the wall. Keeping it steady, she stayed close to the wall, the engine and the sound of wind rushing past her roaring in her ears.

Then she made her way through the various turns, slowing her car as she turned then pushing down on the pedal and slowing down again. Kagome was confident as she worked her way through the turns, seeing fans sitting among the hills behind the fences along the track, waving and cheering.

Kagome had always been one to set high goals for herself, ever since she was a toddler. And right now her goal was to beat Inuyasha's time. If not, she didn't want anything less than the fifth position. Kagome knew she wasn't like the other rookies. She knew she had more skill and she wasn't afraid of anything.

Finally rounding the last turn, she heard Sango and Kaede's screaming voices in her helmet, cheering for her as she pushed down on the pedal and finally passed the checkered line, smirking to herself as she continued to listen to Sango's excited squeals.

Taking her time around the track, Kagome made it around so that she could enter the pits, instantly seeing the crowd of her purple pit team near the end of the road. Making her way along, Kagome saw many people on the other teams clapping for her. As her car slowed down, she heard more and more uproar and even chants that Kagome could've sworn sounded like her name.

Pulling into her spot, her team members flocked her. She didn't know what anyone was saying as she stepped out, pulling her helmet off of her head and wiping her sweaty bangs to the side. Sango abruptly appeared in front of her, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Look, look!" Sango cried out, pointing towards the large screen at the end of the pits. Kagome looked towards the huge TV, her heart racing as she squinted her eyes against the sunlight and saw the top ten lineup for tomorrow's race. Her eyes traveled up, half expecting to see her name at the bottom. When she saw Inuyasha's name at second place, she gasped in surprise as her eyes went further and found _her_ name at first place.

"Oh my god!" Kagome screamed out, jumping around with Sango, listening to the cheers around her and feeling hands patting her on the back from her team members.

Kagome stopped jumping and looked around at the mounds of people in the stands standing up and cheering as the announcer yelled out, "And for the first time ever, a rookie took first place. Let's hear it for Kagome Higurashi!" At that, Kagome beamed at the amount of screams and sounds of air horns blaring at her name.

"You did it!" Sango exclaimed.

Kagome let out a little yell, knowing that she was already on the right track.

_Take that_, she thought as her eyes traveled along the pits, noticing the amount of people facing towards her and cheering for her. Then she found Inuyasha a ways away, and she couldn't help but notice his long black hair and his lean body in his fire red suit. But what mostly got her attention was the glare he was giving her. Kagome was taken aback at the furious look but broke eye contact and brought her attention back to the people in front of her, all congratulating her with large smiles.

Now this is what she came here for.

* * *

Yay, Kagome's here! Lemme know what you think :)

And thanks again for the reviews: **Minsu**, **amelia** (why thanks!), **HeidiBax **(yeah, I don't like Kikyo either. which is why there might be some bashing on her later ;] ), **demonhybrid13** (no, not drunk), **Tokkalover**, **xXKimiko SakakiXx** (wow, good guess lol), **xXKawaiiChibiXx **(trust me, I love fluff so there will be a lot of it), **Twilight Jasmine**.

Expect the next chapter up in a week. Thanks again!

~Every Heart~


	4. Chapter 3

**Racing Legends**  
Chapter 3

* * *

Kagome sighed to herself in bliss as she walked along the bleachers lined up down the main straightaway. Just previously that day she had beaten the famous Inuyasha Takahashi's time and polled herself in first place, which to her, and many others, was remarkable.

Sitting down on the bleachers so that her feet were propped up on the bench in front of her, Kagome looked out and enjoyed the view, amazed at the beauty of the sun setting just behind the track, the different shades of red taking over the sky. There was hardly anyone walking around now and everything was finally quiet.

It was nice to relax. Ever since time trials ended, Kagome was forced to shake hands with many other drivers, and of course, the inevitable press that all had the same questions, "How does it feel to beat Inuyasha Takahashi?" or "What are your goals for tomorrow?" or "How does it feel to be the only girl out there?"

Kagome answered each of them with ease, but after a while it really tired her out. When she tried to escape everyone, Kagome ran into Hojo of all people, the talking machine.

They hugged, as Kagome hasn't seen him for a while, and then he kept talking to her (as he usually does without hardly any breathing), praising her and congratulating her and etc. Kagome listened to it all, thinking about how nothing has changed since the high school days.

They dated around a year in their last year before Kagome broke up with him. He was never her type, so why stay with him? Her old friends, Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri, were the ones that practically made her become his girlfriend anyways. Kagome smiled to herself, they were quite the bunch back then.

Kagome still loved Hojo, just never loved him as more than a friend. And he was a good friend to go to about racing since coincidentally, that's what he was in love with too.

But he was more for the fame of it. Racing shouldn't be about fame. Sure, Kagome had to admit, it was nice in a way, but after what she saw today, it can be a hassle. Kagome could never understand why people would race for that specific reason, and she knew some did.

For her, it was something else entirely.

Kagome could've sworn she listened to Hojo for around an hour. After she felt they were done 'catching up,' she simply left with one last hug. Not knowing where else to be alone, Kagome found herself on the bleachers.

Looking along the track, Kagome was hardly nervous anymore. She was more excited than anything. Tomorrow was her first major race and she couldn't be any happier.

Sliding her elbows up onto the cool metal behind her, Kagome's eyes scanned the pits, remembering the events from earlier. What a glorious day.

* * *

After listening to Kikyo complain and nag for about an hour, Inuyasha had enough of it.

He was very pissed off.

First off, he lost first place to _Kagome Higurashi_ of all people. He could expect losing it to maybe Naraku…or maybe even Koga or Stark, but no, it was the woman rookie driver.

To him, this was ridiculous. Who does she think she is taking his turf? First place was his, and if she beat him tomorrow, Inuyasha didn't know how he would take it, losing to a _rookie_.

He was pissed as he watched her exit her car and listen to everyone's cheers as they announced her time. Miroku tried to comfort him afterwards, but Inuyasha only shrugged him off and walked away. Unfortunately, he went right into the reporters, always asking the same damn questions. Maybe he was wrong in snapping at one of them, but at that moment he needed to just get away.

He spent a lot of time in his trailer, thinking, until Kikyo returned from wherever she was and kept bothering him about earlier, repeatedly asking Inuyasha the same questions he kept asking himself.

But the problem with Kikyo is that she doesn't know how to comfort him. Inuyasha has seen her try, but she never really sees when he's upset. And right then, he really was and she was only making it worse with her constant complaining about how he didn't do well enough.

Kikyo _did_ mean the world to him, but around racing season she was the worst to deal with.

However, Inuyasha could deal with that. He knew there was no one out there who could take her place.

Now here he was, enjoying the sunset in sweatpants and a loose shirt, walking up the stairs that led to the main bleachers in front of the pits. This is where all the fans were going to sit tomorrow. This is where they'll see him beat Kagome and win.

With that thought Inuyasha smirked to himself as he made it to the top. Locating where he usually sits, he was surprised to see someone in his thinking spot.

He immediately recognized who it was and was about to turn around and leave before forcing himself to walk down by her, seeing that she was wearing the same jeans and tank top she was earlier, but with a black sweatshirt. Inuyasha watched in awe as her hair, now out of its ponytail, blew back with the wind.

Kagome, hearing footsteps, turned her head and saw Inuyasha. Hands in his pant pockets, he came and took a seat next to her, leaning back in the same position she was in.

They said nothing for a couple of seconds. Kagome was confused as to why he was sitting next to her, especially since he showed such a dislike to her earlier that day. _Of course it's his fault though_, Kagome thought, _he's a jerk_.

In a way though, she felt bad. Kagome could tell from what she'd seen that Inuyasha was passionate about racing. And to take something from him tugged at her heart a little bit. She looked at him, her eyes shining with worry and regret; maybe she shouldn't have pushed herself too hard?

Inuyasha noticed Kagome staring at him and glared at her. "What?" he snapped.

Kagome huffed, and all previous feelings vanished as soon as they had come.

"Baka," Kagome snapped back as she crossed her arms and looked away. "You're the one that came and sat next to me. I was here first, so leave."

"What?! You wench!" Inuyasha yelled.

Kagome turned her head back towards him, looking into his dark eyes and finding that her anger was slowly dissipating.

"Whatever, I don't feel like arguing," Kagome said as she leaned back into her original position and visibly relaxed. "And don't call me wench."

Inuyasha stared at her, somewhat confused at how quickly her mood changed, before also calming down. It was quiet again before Inuyasha spoke up.

"Congratulations."

Kagome was taken aback at how quickly their conversation (if it could be called that) shifted.

But it was nice of Inuyasha to say that. "Thanks," she said in response.

"So why are you here?" Inuyasha asked, curious. This was his spot anyways.

Kagome shrugged, "Needed to get away from everybody. Just wanted to think." She paused before asking, "What about you?"

The corners of Inuyasha's mouth lifted just a little bit. He said, "I always come up in the stands the night before a race. It's tradition."

Kagome smiled in response, her heart fluttering at the sight of him smiling. They were silent again for several minutes as they sat, enjoying each others company.

"You nervous?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome gently laughed, "Yeah, I guess. I was really nervous earlier today, but now I'm more excited than anything, you know?"

Inuyasha nodded.

"I mean," she continued, "I never realized how…how _exhilarating_ it can be, to go that fast and have everyone's eyes on you."

"That feeling is gonna increase much more tomorrow, trust me."

Kagome smiled. "That's what I'm excited for. I can't wait."

"My first race…" Inuyasha started, "I was nervous as hell. I was the only one in my family in racing, and none of them thought I could do it. Keh, showed them, finished in second, which was good enough for me. The experience of being out there though was best part."

Kagome listened, finding this whole other side of Inuyasha intriguing. His voice was gentle and soothing.

Inuyasha, however, was dealing with his chaotic mind, which kept asking him why he was even still there talking to the girl who stole his spot.

But when Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome and locked eyes with her, well, he found it extremely pleasant. Almost immediately, this girl had calmed him down and he found peace after having been mad at his fiancée who can never seem to help him out.

Kagome then glimpsed downwards and stared at the strange blue necklace around his neck, made of big blue beads with sharp white ones in-between. It looked like something made back thousands of years ago, and that's what instantly fascinated her.

Inuyasha noticed she was staring at his necklace. "My mother made it for me before she died," he said, fingering the cool beads in his fingers. "I've kept it ever since."

Kagome nodded sadly and said, "I'm sorry."

Inuyasha shrugged, turning his head and looking at the track below him. "Keh, it was years ago."

"My dad died too when I was young," she said, causing him to take a fleeting look at her. "Actually he was the reason I got into racing. And for that, I'll forever be grateful to him."

Inuyasha nodded, taking in what she said. It was left at that for the next hour or so, both of them sitting there in silence as the moon replaced the sun and day turned into night.

* * *

It was midday, an hour before the Sendai Race was scheduled to start. By then the sun was high in the air, its rays blazing on the track below it, making the thousands of fans that were sitting in the stands to sweat and dehydrate. There was an immense crowd, both sitting on the bleachers, with shirts and flags of their favorite drivers, and on the infield, where they sat on lawn chairs behind the fences.

The day was beautiful and Kagome stood in the pits, her fisted hand to her chest as she stared up at the amount of people before her.

"You ready killer?" Sango asked, suddenly appearing next to Kagome.

"Of course," Kagome said with a wink, all nervousness gone.

Same went with Inuyasha, whose crew was only one spot down from Kagome. All he could feel was the excitement building up for the first race of the season. And at the same time, he couldn't keep his eyes off of Kagome.

What went on between them last night was unforgettable. It was easy for him to talk to her since she could easily relate to how he felt about racing. But of course, that didn't mean they were going to be 'buddy-buddy.' He still had to beat her.

_And she's still a wench_, Inuyasha thought as he forced himself to look away and turn towards Kikyo as she leaned forward and kissed him passionately, whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

Kagome watched the exchange and quickly looked away, not wanting to see any more of it. To her, Kikyo posed as a snob and a slut. But that was just her. Sango thought much worse things. Kagome smirked to herself as she turned towards her best friend.

"When do we get ready for the go-around?" Kagome asked, meaning as in when each driver gets on the back of a truck and drive around the track once as the announcer introduces each driver.

"Umm," Sango said, looking at her watch, "In just a little bit."

"Okay," Kagome said as she looked up at the large monitor at the end of the pits while putting her hair back in its usual low ponytail.

"Why hello, my dear," Kagome heard a dark voice behind her and swiftly turned around to find herself face to face with Naraku.

"Oh…uh hello," Kagome said, backing up a step, finding his eyes slightly frightening.

"I haven't had the pleasure to meet you formally," Naraku said as he took her hand, shaking it.

"Pleasure is all mine," Kagome answered politely, trying her best to smile at the man.

He kept his hand on hers for a couple seconds longer, saying "I'm sure," before dropping it.

"I just wanted to say that you did magnificent yesterday, putting little Yasha in his place, yeah?"

Kagome shrugged, "I wouldn't necessarily say that."

"Oh, but you know how desperate he is for fame. You know that he does this just so he can get his face recognized and make millions."

Kagome glared at him, "You don't know that," she said, trying to protect Inuyasha.

"Ah, but you see, I do. I have been in this business for quite some time now, and I know that that is what Inuyasha secretly wants. I know about every driver here. But anyways, it's his choice. I must go now. Have a pleasant race, my dear," he finished, giving her a last longing look before departing. Kagome stared after him, wondering about Inuyasha. She looked over her shoulder where Inuyasha was standing and found him staring at her, or if not at her, somewhere near her. Kagome didn't quite know, but got it out of her mind before making her way back over to Sango and Kaede. No need to think about anything else but the race.

A half hour later was when things really started to unfold. By then the stands and the infield were packed with fans and each driver was taken to a red Chevy truck. Kagome and Sango stood in the back of hers while Kagome's mom and brother climbed inside. Since Kagome was first in the race, she was last in the lineup of trucks, with Inuyasha in front of her and such forth. He stood on the back of his truck with Miroku.

"Can you still believe this is happening?" Kagome muttered to herself.

Sango, who was sitting on the edge of the truck now, shook her head, "I actually can't."

The names were now being announced from the speakers placed around the field. Each time a driver was announced, the truck would move forward, and they would go around the track and arrive back in the pit stops where the drivers would get in their cars and get ready.

They slowly moved forward, Kagome's eyes fixed on Inuyasha. She watched as he laughed with Miroku, his smile radiating off the sunlight.

Kagome's eyes remained on him until he looked her way and smirked. Kagome blushed and looked away, then looked back up to see him still watching her.

Sango, noticing this, stood up and looked to see what Kagome was getting worked up over. She leaned against the top of the truck, seeing Miroku and Inuyasha in front of them.

"Sango, you're looking lovely today!" Miroku yelled out, causing Sango to blush too and look away just as Kagome did.

Both of them were snapped out of it, however, when they heard Naraku's name being called, and several yells and screams echoing through the pits. Next was Inuyasha, and as his name was called, a loud uproar ran around them, Kagome feeling like her ears were about to explode.

Finally their truck pulled up to the end of the pits, waiting for Kagome's name to be announced as soon as the noise level was brought down.

"And now, for our leading pole position, first time rookie, leading first by about half a second, ladies and gentleman, Kagome Higurashi!" And as the truck started to drive around the track, Kagome's eyes widened at the response she got. She heard screams and yells and air horns blaring as she passed people on the infield and on the stands, waving at them as she passed.

Kagome's eyes began to fill with tears, definitely not expecting so much of a response from everybody. As their truck re-entered the pits after going around the track, waving at all of the screaming fans, she could still faintly hear people chanting her name and yelling for her.

"Wow," Sango said, hopping off the truck.

"Wow," Kagome repeated as she jumped off also.

"Kagome," Mrs. Higurashi appeared beside her with Sota, smiling at her, "Please be safe."

Kagome nodded, wondering if her mom was scared to watch her race. She hugged her tightly. "Don't worry, I will be," she said as she pulled away.

"Kick their asses!" Sota said as she gave him a quick hug too.

"Sota!" Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed, giving him a scolding look.

"Uh…uh…I mean butts!" he said, scratching the back of his head as they walked away, Mrs. Higurashi giving Kagome one last wave as they made their way up to their suite.

"Kagome, get over here!" Kagome followed Sango's voice, and grabbed the helmet she was holding out for her.

"Do your best, Kagome," Kaede said as she gave her shoulder a small squeeze.

Kagome nodded as she walked over to her car, her helmet under her arm as she wiped back her sweaty bangs with the other. Kagome waited patiently as the national anthem was sung and a prayer was said from a local priest. After that was to be the famous words that would start the race.

Kagome, along with every other driver along the pits, put on their helmets and stepped into their cars. Kagome gasped as her seatbelts were pulled tightly against her. She took a few steady breaths, calming herself as Sango knelt down next to the side of the car.

"Ladies and gentleman!" A female voice boomed from the speakers. Kagome smiled. "Start…your…engines!" and with that the sounds of engines starting reverberated throughout the entire track. Kagome started hers, the car roaring to life as she looked to Sango and did their secret handshake before she patted Kagome's helmet and walked away. Kagome gripped the wheel. _It's all me now_.

All the drivers accelerated their cars and made their way out of the pits and onto the track, preparing to do a three lap practice run before the flag is green for them to go.

Kagome was the first one, following the blue Camaro pace car in front of her. They passed through the stands and the infield, all of the fans occupying them standing up and waving and cheering, making Kagome feel like she was on top of the world.

Inuyasha was directly behind her, moving his car from side to side to wear the wheels down a little bit. His eyes were fixed on the purple car in front of him, thinking of tactics and strategies to use as soon as the race started. He _had_ to get Kagome.

Behind Inuyasha was Naraku, and then following him Stark, then Koga, and that completed the top five. All five cars were testing out their cars, moving them back and forth across the black cement.

All forty drivers made their first two laps round the track, Kagome getting re-used to how the track was shaped. She was thinking of how fast she needed to go and how sharply she needed to turn, especially with many other drivers around her.

They were now making their way through the small turns, the Camaro having disappeared into the pits, leaving Kagome leading the long line of drivers. Keeping the maximum fifty mile an hour speed limit before green, Kagome suddenly heard Kaede start to talk to her.

"Okay," she said, "Two hundred and fifty laps, here you go. Remember to watch the lights on the side of the track to flash green before you make a break for it. Inuyasha is going to want to take the lead right away, so watch out for him."

Kagome nodded to herself, gripping the wheel even tighter to fend off any nervousness as they made their final turn and headed into the straight-away. Seeing the many lights along the side of the track, all showing yellow, she watched them carefully as she drove down the long stretch, her heart racing in anticipation as she watched it abruptly turn green.

Slamming her foot on the pedal, Kagome jerked back in her seat as her car raced forward in an alarming rate. She felt tingles and shakes run along her body, her first race after only seconds having a major impact on her, leaving her wanting more and loving the feel of immense joy.

She saw Inuyasha making his way up to her fast in her side mirror. Kagome pushed the car more as she made her way along the first big turn. As her car starting to force her towards the wall, gravity having taken its toll, she looked to her left to see Inuyasha's red and black car right next to hers.

Not wanting him to steal her first lap from her, Kagome pushed past him in the front as she made her way through the small weaving turns, decelerating and accelerating her car when necessary. Inuyasha stayed behind her, but she noticed that he was still too close. She also saw Naraku's black car directly behind Inuyasha.

As they left the infield and swerved back onto the main track, Kagome accelerated and felt the rush again as her car climbed its speed rapidly as she made it around the last turn and racing to the checkered line, officially completing her first lap.

Kagome smiled to herself, keeping her speed and leading the next seventeen laps, getting better at driving her car and manipulating it through the small sharp turns in the infield.

Inuyasha always stayed right behind her. A couple of times he tried to pass but was unable to as Kagome made sure her car remained faster. Kagome listened in as Sango and Kaede told her what was happening with the race and who was where now. Apparently Stark had passed Naraku and was now in third. But other than that, nothing major had happened as of yet.

Right before completing her eighteenth lap, she suddenly found Inuyasha zooming past her and cutting in front of her, taking first place from her in a matter of seconds.

"Bastard," she muttered to herself as she followed right up to the back of his car. She heard Sango laugh as she tried to praise Kagome and keep up her spirits.

Kagome didn't lose focus for the next hundred laps, but Inuyasha didn't either as he kept his place in first. Kagome tried passing him multiple times, but always found herself unable to beat his car. And for a couple laps there she had lost a couple seconds time between her and Inuyasha's car.

They were now up to lap one hundred and eighty when Kagome saw yellow flags and lights all around her. Slowing her car down, she stayed behind Inuyasha as the pace car came out in front of them, its yellow lights flashing.

"What happened?" Kagome asked.

"There was a crash with Hojo and an American guy, Clark."

"Are they hurt?" Kagome asked, worried.

"No, from the looks of it they just bumped tires and both ended up in the grass on the infield."

"Okay. Should I pit? The car needs gas, and the gauge says the right front tire is losing some air."

"Wait one lap and then pit, we'll get you fixed."

Kagome obeyed and followed behind Inuyasha and the pace car as they circled the track at a steady fifty miles an hour. They came upon the scene of the accident, where ambulances and tow trucks were on the side of the track and on the grass. Kagome saw Hojo's brown car on the right as she moved around a tow truck. She kept glancing over to see what was happening, and noticed Hojo walking over to one of the trucks so that his car could get pulled in.

"Are they both out?" Kagome asked.

"Yes," Kaede responded, "Clark's front end got busted, and Hojo's spoiler and the back suspension were ripped off."

Kagome nodded, and as the opening of the pits appeared, she followed into it, seeing that Inuyasha was heading into the pits too, along with every driver left in the race.

This is a crucial part in a race. You can easily gain a couple spots in the line-up or quickly lose your position. As Kagome headed into her spot, she slowed the car down as it came to a stop as her team members flooded the area around her. She felt the car shaking as her one tire was quickly removed and replaced and gas was pushed into the car. Done after a few seconds, they gave her a go and Kagome sped off. As she exited the pits, she found the familiar black car of Naraku's in front of her, and in front of him, Stark and Inuyasha.

_Looks like Inuyasha kept his place at first_, she thought, _but I got dropped down to fourth…crap_.

They all made their way around the track a couple more times to give the staff time to get all of the debris off the road. As soon as it was clear, the drivers were off again as the lights and the flag turned green. Kagome pushed her way to try and get past Naraku.

"Two hundred laps!" Sango said after a while, "Keep it up!"

Realizing there were only fifty laps left, Kagome pushed the pedal down as they came up to the straightaway again. Finding herself incredibly close to the back of Naraku's car, she decided to make a break for it and tried passing him, but found herself on the side near the wall. As they passed the starting/finish line, Kagome and Naraku were wheel to wheel as they began to make their way across the first turn.

The first thing Kagome realized was the jerking motion of Naraku's helmet as he kept looking at her, then back to the road, and then back again. Next thing she noticed was how dangerously close his tires got to hers. She could've sworn they were an inch away.

Keeping her cool, she sped up, trying to get past him but found herself still next to the black car as they swerved through the infield, making it a tight fit as they made it through the first two turns, right, and then left.

At the next turn, Naraku went too close to her, and Kagome unexpectedly found her car skidding on the grass. Her heart thumped rapidly as the back end of her car skidded to the side. The car vibrated violently from the rough surface, making it difficult for Kagome to see where she was.

Kagome jerked the wheel in the opposite direction, finding her place again on the smooth cement, but behind Naraku once again.

"Kagome! Are you alright?" Sango asked.

"Yeah, Naraku got too close," Kagome replied as she began the final large turn out of the infield.

"Be careful," Kaede said, "He knows what he's doing."

Kagome smirked to herself, ready to get revenge as she saw the car behind her trying to get past. As they made their way back to the straight-away, Kagome pushed down her pedal and moved on the inside of Naraku, her car faster than his and easily ending up in front of him.

"There you go!" Sango yelled.

As the race continued, there was another yellow flag when someone in the end of lineup hit the side wall and caused a part of their car to fly off and land on the track. As everyone pitted again while the debris was being cleared off the track, Kagome made it out of the pits again behind Inuyasha, but found herself one space ahead and now in second.

"Thirteen more laps Kagome, you got it," Sango said.

"All you need to do is get past Inuyasha," Kaede said, "And if not, second is more than good enough."

As the flag finally went green, there were nine more laps, and Kagome was pleased to hear from Sango that Naraku was now in sixth.

She carefully made her way around, a little frustrated at the half-second distance between her and Inuyasha.

As they neared their second to last lap, Kagome finally found herself close enough to Inuyasha to think that she could get past him.

As they made their way through the infield, Kagome tried her best to go as fast as she can through the small turns. When they came out onto the main track, she pushed her car a little harder so that it was side by side with Inuyasha as began driving down the straight-away. Both of them passed the line at the same time and Kagome saw a guy on the podium above her waving a white flag, signaling one lap left.

Knowing how she worked hard for this, Kagome bit her lip in concentration as she veered her car right in front of Inuyasha as soon as they hit the infield, in which she kept a steady lead in front of him while he tried to pass her.

Exiting the infield, Inuyasha, who was now fuming, accelerated enough so that as they came down the straight track, seconds left until the race ended, he ended up right next to her, wheel to wheel.

Their cars moved up and down, Inuyasha first, then Kagome first. As the line rapidly approached them, Inuyasha pushed down his foot harder on the accelerator and sped past Kagome and past the finish line as the checkered flag waved above him.

Shaking his fist in the air in victory, he let out a yell as the crowd screamed and cheered for their legend.

"It's alright kid," Sango said to Kagome, "You almost had it, but that was probably the greatest thing I've ever seen. Just imagine what everyone is thinking about you right now."

Kagome smiled. "Yeah, I guess," but still a little disappointed in the loss.

* * *

So yeah, I'm sorry it's been a little more than a week, I was up north for like 9 days...

But I just got back today and I wanted to post this chapter. But I'm really tried right now ( -_- ) and I just looked over it a couple of times, but I might have missed something when I was dozing off (whoops). But hopefully this chapter is to your liking and there are no major errors.

And just to let you all know, my other stories I've written doesn't have as much fluff as I like. Like I'm in LOVE with fluff, so expect a lot more for this story :D

But anyways, thanks again for all the beautiful reviews!!: **HeidiBax **(oh I know :P), **xXKimiko SakakiXx**, **Twilight Jasmine**, **xXKawaiiChibiXx**, **Ladii Lunatik**, **Wtashita** ( :[ I sorry, heh I don't mean anything to be boring to you. I promise I'll try to make things more interesting!), **Mika**, **Dog Breath.**

_~Every Heart~_


	5. Chapter 4

**Racing Legends  
**Chapter 4

* * *

"I think I desperately need to find a girlfriend," Miroku said as he eyed the various dressed up women around him.

Inuyasha sighed, rolling his eyes and taking another sip of his drink. "You're an idiot," he said.

Miroku looked at him, feigning hurt, "And why is that?"

"Because you're too perverted for your own good," Inuyasha remarked as he caught Miroku's eyes following a woman's behind as she walked by.

Miroku looked back at his friend, smiling sheepishly.

Inuyasha grinned and looked away, taking another drink as he surveyed the room once more. Again, there was an after party, but this one was way more extravagant than the last one. Instead of being held outside, a huge white tent was built the previous day in the infield. Music was blaring from the DJ on the other side from where they were standing and refreshment tables were placed all along sides with soft white tablecloths over each of them. It was also very dim in there, with only a couple of various color lights strung overhead, giving the large room a soft glow.

It's been roughly an hour and Inuyasha finally had time to just hang out with Miroku. For the first hour he was busy chatting with the other drivers about the race that day. But it was before that when Inuyasha had gotten a lot of attention from the press. As soon as his feet had exited the pits, it seemed like hundred of cameras were flashing at him and too many people were asking too many questions all at once.

However, being used to it, Inuyasha dealt with the reporters for an hour or so until they eventually ran out of questions. During all of this, he also noticed Kagome getting a lot of attention herself. He gave a couple of glances at her, watching as she nervously smiled at the flashing cameras.

Inuyasha smirked to himself as he thought about the girl, thinking she could beat him. _Ha,_ _I sure showed her, _he thought.

Speaking of which, Inuyasha hadn't seen her at the party yet. Even though there were a lot of people and he knew it would be impossible to find her, he had hoped he would've seen her for just a little bit.

He did find Kikyo though, but she was busy conversing with her friends. He remembered smiling at her before he walked off, leaving her be seeing as she was caught up telling a story to them. She looked beautiful, wearing the red dress he had bought her a week ago and her hair done up in a messy bun. Even though she did obsess a little over the parties they went to, Inuyasha always found her looking beautiful, and he enjoyed it.

"I wonder where Sango is," Miroku wondered aloud.

Inuyasha glanced over at him, "I doubt she'd want to see you."

"What? Of course she would, who could resist this handsome piece of-" Miroku cut himself off as he saw a blonde woman stride by. "Um…excuse me," he said as he took off after her.

Inuyasha watched him walk up to the girl before leaning back against the table behind him and taking another drink. He was used to Miroku leaping off after every good-looking girl that passed them.

"Hi Inuyasha."

Inuyasha snapped out of his thoughts and took a sharp intake of breath at the girl before him. Dressed in a knee-length blue dress that hugged her curves, Kagome was smiling at him as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

He only nodded at her in response, too shocked for words at the moment while silently cursing inside his head.

"I just wanted to tell you congratulations," she said, "You did really well today."

Inuyasha stared at her, getting lost at the way she looked, not knowing what to say back. But of course, being Inuyasha, and being frustrated with his lack of response, he said, "Keh, of course I did wench."

Kagome huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Baka, I told you not to call me that!"

Inuyasha shrugged half-heartedly, somewhat enjoying getting Kagome angry. The way her bottom lip went into a pout and her head tilted to the side, he sort of, in a way, found it cute.

_Keh, what the hell?_ Inuyasha thought, not liking where his thoughts were leading. _She is _not _cute_.

"Then don't call me baka, wench," Inuyasha retorted, smirking.

"You started it!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did-

"Excuse me, miss?"

Kagome turned her head in surprise to the new incomer standing next to her. Koga Kimura put a gentle hand on her shoulder as he stared down at the young driver.

"What do you want?" Inuyasha snapped. He has never once in his life liked Koga. Not any particular reason why, but that was okay. He just didn't like him.

"Miss Kagome," Koga said, ignoring Inuyasha, "I have to tell you, when I saw you from across the room you looked absolutely stunning." He took her hand and kissed it, causing Kagome's face to redden.

"Oh, thank you Koga," she said, smiling.

"Oi, we're talking here!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

Koga didn't let go of Kagome's hand as he looked over and smirked at Inuyasha. "Sure looked like it Yashi."

Inuyasha growled at him, "Don't call me that, asshole!" Ever since Inuyasha met Koga, he was always gloating about things he could never do. And that was one reason why Koga pissed Inuyasha off. The other reason…well, he was Koga. That was enough for Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, "Don't call him that!"

"Shut up, wench," Inuyasha snapped back, his anger taking over his thoughts.

Kagome was about to yell something back at him when Koga jumped in, saying, "Anyways, I just wanted to meet the lovely Kagome Higurashi. You did splendid today," Koga kissed her hand one more time before dropping it.

Kagome blushed again, her mood instantly changing at the praise she was getting. This only infuriated Inuyasha more.

"Too bad she didn't win," Inuyasha said, grinning.

"I almost did, you jerk!" Kagome yelled out, once again, her mood quickly changing thanks to Inuyasha.

"Keh, but you didn't wench!"

"Stop calling me wench, baka!"

"Wench!"

"Baka!"

"Bitch!"

"Don't call my woman a bitch!" Koga cut in, putting an arm around Kagome.

Both Kagome and Inuyasha stared at him in shock. _What?_ They both thought in confusion.

"Butt out, Koga!" Inuyasha said, glaring at the man.

"Don't call my woman a bitch then."

"Wait…w-what?" Kagome stuttered.

"Something wrong, Kagome?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha said, stepping forward, "She's not your woman!"

Koga pulled his arm away from Kagome and instead clasped both her hands again, causing her cheeks to flush. "I'm sorry for my forwardness, Kagome, but the way you raced out there fascinated me. I barely know you, but you are an amazing woman, and with each passing second I have found myself liking you more."

Kagome was speechless, not knowing what to say. Of course she was flattered, and also found Koga handsome and very nice…but she didn't know him…

"Can't you tell she doesn't like you?" Inuyasha said.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome said, glaring at him, "Of course I like him-"

"See?" Koga said, letting go of her hands and proudly smirking at Inuyasha, "She _does_ like me."

Kagome's eyes widened, surprised at how quickly her words were being twisted around.

She was about to object when someone came up to Inuyasha.

"Hello Inuyasha," Kikyo said, grabbing his arm and kissing his cheek.

Inuyasha nodded glanced at her and gave his fiancée a quick smile before glaring back at Koga.

"What's all the yelling about?" Kikyo asked, slightly embarrassed. It was always her fiancée that got everyone's attention, in the bad way too.

"Nothing," Inuyasha said, still giving Koga the death-stare.

"Well, I'm going to go head outside for some air," Kagome said, not in the mood to argue anymore, especially now that Kikyo was there. "I'll see you all later. Nice meeting you Koga," and she walked away with a smile. Koga left as well, giving a short nod in greeting to Kikyo.

"You want to dance?" Kikyo asked, wanting to calm Inuyasha down, seeing him stand there looking ready to yell something with his hands clutched in fists at his sides.

"Sure," Inuyasha responded, and let himself be dragged away onto the dance floor on the other side of the building. Pushing through masses of people, Inuyasha's mood slowly started to change as Kikyo squeezed his hand. A slower song started. Kikyo took his hand and pulled him to the center of slow-moving bodies.

Putting his hand on her waist, and holding her hand with his, Inuyasha moved with Kikyo, smiling at her. He found himself instantly relaxing as they moved with the music.

"So," Kikyo said, "Why were you talking with that Kagome girl?"

"She came over to congratulate me," Inuyasha said.

"And so you guys started to fight? You two do not get along well, do you?"

Inuyasha shrugged, and then felt a stab of regret. Kagome was just trying to be nice, and he blew it, yelling at her. Just…the way she looked, it caught him off guard.

Inuyasha sighed as Kikyo put her head on his shoulder. He was a jackass, he knew. But Kagome just gets him so worked up over nothing. So it's her fault!

_No it isn't,_ Inuyasha thought, _and now that idiot Koga is calling her his 'woman,' Keh._

"So I was talking to the girls," Kikyo said as she lifted her head back off of his shoulder, "What do you think about us having a party at your house? With all of our friends? It could be the night after a race or something. How about it?"

Inuyasha shrugged, knowing that it was going to happen anyways even if he objected. Kikyo didn't necessarily live at his house, but she acted like it was hers anyways.

_Not that I mind_, Inuyasha thought, _she is, after all, moving in in a couple of months_.

They continued dancing for another couple of songs until Inuyasha's mind could not find a way to off of Kagome. He wanted to find her. He wanted to apologize, which is a strange thought for him. He never apologized. He hardly ever apologized to Kikyo!

But after seeing the look of hurt on Kagome's face as he snapped at her, made him feel weak in the knees. If he didn't talk to her now, he wouldn't see her for another week, and by then it might be too late to fix anything.

_Even though we just met,_ Inuyasha thought, _I still want to say sorry. It's my fault._ If Inuyasha had been in his hanyou form right then, his small white ears would've dropped at that thought.

So with a kiss, Inuyasha left Kikyo and he headed out of the doors, saying he needed to get out of the hot building.

* * *

Kagome sat on the edge of the large fountain outside of the building. She could hear the laughter and chatter and loud music blaring from inside. Lights flooded out of the doorways, illuminating a couple of people who stood right outside the building either smoking or drinking with whoever they were with.

No one was near Kagome. She sat on the edge of the fountain, her back facing the water. With one leg over the other, she let her hand glide over the surface of the water.

Turning her head so that she could stare at it, she watched as ripples followed her fingers. The sound of the fountain's rushing water flowed through her ears, leaving her in a relaxed state.

Even though this was all peaceful to her, Kagome's mind was still on Inuyasha. _How could he?_ She thought_, I thought last night changed everything. I thought it would stop him from being such a…a baka!_

Kagome sighed to herself as she continued to play with the water. _I guess I was right; Inuyasha is just an arrogant, cocky, and self-centered-_

"Kagome?"

Kagome's head snapped around and she gasped at seeing Inuyasha right in front of her.

"Oh…hi," she said, her hands folding on her lap as she uncrossed her legs.

Inuyasha sat down next to her and Kagome couldn't help but marvel at how he looked under the starlight.

"I just…I wanted to say…" Inuyasha stammered, suddenly finding it difficult to apologize to the girl. What was wrong? He just had to say sorry and then leave. That's all.

"Yes, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, leaning a little closer, trying to egg him on. She could tell he wanted to apologize, but she also understood that Inuyasha was a very dense person. And from what she's seen form his demeanor, it's probably hard for him to say sorry to someone. Kagome instantly felt grateful, seeing he was at least _trying_ to say it.

And that was enough for her.

"I…" he started again, but grew quickly agitated. Who is this woman? She leaves him breathless and at a loss for words all the time. "Keh, whatever." He crossed his arms and looked away from Kagome, silently cursing himself for being so weak.

"I'm sorry too, Inuyasha."

He looked back over at her, surprised. _How did she know?_

He smiled, the motion reflecting on Kagome's face.

"So why'd you leave?" Kagome asked nodding her head towards where the loud music was escaping from.

Inuyasha shrugged again. He said, "Needed some time to relax." _Wanted to see you._

"Yeah, me too," Kagome said, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the starlit sky.

"So how was it?" Inuyasha asked.

"How was what?"

"Your first race," he said, as if it was obvious, "How was it?"

Kagome smiled. "It was probably the most amazing thing I've ever done. I mean, everything was just so…perfect, you know? _And_ I almost beat you!"

Inuyasha grinned at the look she was giving him, the small twinkle in her eye. "Yeah right, Kagome."

Kagome giggled and lightly pushed him on the shoulder. "Admit it, Inuyasha, I almost did."

"Yeah, yeah…you were lucky I let you lead a couple of laps," Inuyasha retorted, crossing his arms and smirking at her.

"Oh, now that's a lie!" Kagome exclaimed, laughing. "I think you're the lucky one since I let you pass me."

"Yeah right, wench."

"You know it's true," Kagome said, laughing again.

"Or maybe you're the lucky one, seeing as how you're a girl I have to go easy on you for a little bit."

"Oh, good one Inuyasha," Kagome said, pushing him again on the shoulder.

"It's true, wench," Inuyasha said, pushing her back.

"Baka!" Kagome said, pushing him again, still grinning.

Inuyasha pushed her again, and was about to call out another name when he realized he pushed too hard. Kagome's weight started to lean back, her arms swinging in circles to try and get herself back up. Inuyasha stood up and reached out for her, but missed her hand as she fell back with a loud splash.

Inuyasha started laughing hard as she stood out of the water, taking a deep breath of air and brushing back the wet hair that stuck to her face. Kagome glared at Inuyasha, who continued laughing at her.

"That wasn't funny, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, wringing out the water in her hair.

Inuyasha stopped laughing, but continued smirking at her. The water reached up to her thighs, but the way her dress clung to her curves and the way her hair was plastered against her skin made Inuyasha momentarily breathless…yet again.

"Yeah, it was wench," Inuyasha replied, taking a step closer.

Kagome, suddenly feeling chilled from the cold air hitting her wet skin, glared at Inuyasha with his dumb smirk. _Stupid baka,_ she kept saying in her head.

And then, as a thought occurred to her, Kagome grinned to herself. "Well can you at least help me out of here?" Kagome held out her hand.

Inuyasha grabbed her hand, ready to pull her out, when instead, he found himself being yanked towards the laughing girl. He let out a short yell until his body was submerged it cold water.

He quickly stood up, shaking out his hair as he in turn glared at Kagome.

"What the hell wench?!" He exclaimed, feeling his clothes hug his skin.

Kagome continued laughing. All anger vanished from Inuyasha as he watched her hand go onto her stomach as she doubled over laughing.

"I…can't believe…you fell for it," Kagome said in between laughs.

Inuyasha grinned back at her. He slightly bent down and swiped his hand through the water, making a small wave crash into Kagome's face.

She coughed for a second and looked up, her laughter instantly dying, but the smile still on her face.

"Baka!" she exclaimed as she splashed water at Inuyasha.

"You'll pay for that, Kagome," Inuyasha said, smirking at her and narrowing his eyes. Kagome squeaked and attempted to run away from him through the water. She felt herself getting a dozen splashes thrown at her back and she continued giggling, finding it extremely hard to move.

Suddenly, Kagome lost her balance on her high heel and started to fall face first. But just as she braced herself to hit the water, she felt herself being held up and turned around.

Feeling warm arms around her, Kagome looked up and found Inuyasha's dark orbs staring into her eyes, water droplets falling from his bangs and down his face as he smiled at her. She was taken aback at how attractive he was, at how his smile lit up his entire face and how his eyes spun with joyous emotions.

"Walk much?" He said, the corner of his mouth lifting a little higher.

Kagome laughed, and tried to calm herself down, not knowing if the reason why she was out of breath was because of how much she was just moving around, or if because Inuyasha's arms were still wrapped around her.

It was then when a cold breeze rushed by them, making Kagome shiver visibly as she felt chills run up and down her wet body.

"It's too cold out here for you, let me walk you to your trailer," Inuyasha said, pulling away. Both of them instantly missed the warmth.

Inuyasha helped her out of the fountain, grabbing her hand for her to step out, but letting it go just as quickly as he had grabbed it.

"You don't have to walk me home, you know," Kagome said as she straightened her dress out, "I'm sure Kikyo wants to see you."

Inuyasha shrugged, "I'm sure she's fine without me." He started walking away, but Kagome stood there staring after him. He looked back at her after a couple of steps and said, "You coming?"

Kagome nodded and smiled, running up to him.

"Thank you," she said sweetly as they started walking away from the fountain.

"Keh," Inuyasha answered.

They walked along the dirt road for several minutes, both lost in their own thoughts. Kagome's arms wrapped tighter around herself as she continued getting colder from the air that was picking up. Inuyasha, noticing this, had an urge to wrap an arm around her, but at the same time, something held him back.

"When are you and Kikyo getting married?" Kagome asked out of interest, shuffling her black shoes along the dirt, feeling the dirt stick to her wet feet.

"A couple of months," Inuyasha said, "Scheduled a week after the Shikon race."

Kagome nodded. "Are you happy with her?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you think she's the one?"

Inuyasha looked at her, surprised, "What's with all the questions?"

Kagome suddenly blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry; I was just wondering. You don't have to tell me. I know it's personal."

Inuyasha didn't smile on the outside, but he couldn't help but stare at the way her cheeks flushed and how she averted his gaze in embarrassment. On the inside, that made him smile.

Moments passed as the two made their way along the road, the trailer park coming into view, before Inuyasha said, "I don't know."

"You don't know what?"

"If she's the one," Inuyasha said looking ahead, deep in his thoughts. "But she'll make me happy."

Kagome nodded. "I hope you two have a happy relationship," she said with a smile. "You better invite me to your wedding!"

Inuyasha looked at her, snapped out of his thoughts about Kikyo.

"You can't not invite your new friend," Kagome continued with a grin. "Right?"

Inuyasha was taken aback. Friend? He only nodded and looked away, thinking about Kagome…his new friend. About the way she talked to him so easily, but at the same time can argue with him over nothing. At how, in the short time he'd known her, she seems to have captured his thoughts and has lurked there since the moment they met. The way she laughed and smiled…the way she got angry at him and always did her signature pose with her hands on her hips, pouting…the way she threw herself into one of the most dangerous sports and still did it with courage and excitement.

Yeah, she was a friend.

_But still a wench,_ Inuyasha thought.

They eventually reached Kagome's trailer, the inside lights signaling her family was already home.

Kagome faced him as he walked her to her doorway.

"Thanks, Inuyasha," Kagome said. She waited a moment, before turning around and opening the door, the light flooding out into the darkness outside.

"See you next weekend," Inuyasha said.

Kagome looked back and smiled, the light from the door only lighting up his face as he gazed at her. He then turned and walked further down the road, and Kagome stared at him for a couple of seconds more before walking into her trailer.

* * *

Eek, it's been more than a week hasn't it?

Well I'm sorry. Truth is this chapter was hard to write. I wanted something away from all the racing, but the first couple of times I wrote this chapter...just ugh. It was crap. This is the third time I've tried writing this chapter, and I like it a whole lot more. I didn't want to give you guys a crappy chapter, so I kept fixing it.

Thanks again to my most wonderful and faithful reviewers :] :**Forbydden Apple**, **HeidiBax**,** Alice54**, **Tokkalover** (you're getting a little too close to what I wanted 0_0 lol. But yeah, something like that :] ),** Mika**, **xXKimiko SakakiXx**, **xXKawaiiChibiXx**, **noodles579** (hahahaha, your review made me laugh so hard. Maybe not Alaska...but we'll see :P), **kestralangel** (Yeah, I've read BlackMamba's work. I really liked it all too.)

_~Every Heart~_


	6. Chapter 5

**Racing Legends**  
Chapter 5

* * *

"Isn't this exciting, Inuyasha?" Kikyo said as she leaned back into the couch, beaming at her fiancée who sat in the chair opposite her.

"Keh. When is this gonna be again?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well we should leave time for people to plan ahead…so maybe in three or four weeks?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "If that's when you want it, go ahead."

Kikyo smiled and stood up, walking around the chair and coming up behind him. She started to slowly massage his shoulders. Inuyasha instantly relaxed; his eyes half-closed as she kneaded away the soreness.

"Thank you," she said softly as she bent down and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, this will be fun. And you don't have to worry about anything, I'll take care of all of it, okay?"

Inuyasha nodded as best as he could as she continued to rub his shoulders.

She stopped and kissed his head before walking down the hall. "I'm going to get the invitations ready!"

Inuyasha opened his eyes and leaned back in his chair, the corners of his mouth lifting at Kikyo's excitement over the party they were going to have. Anything that made her happy made him happy too. Even though it did risk having a mess in his house.

His house was large, yes, but after all the money Inuyasha had made, he just wanted a good backyard. His house was secluded on the country side, hard to see in an overhead view since it was shrouded in trees. His backyard stretched for acres, ending at a small stream at the end of what Inuyasha secretly called 'his meadow.'

It was all perfect for him. Besides the large green luscious yard, his house was definitely a bachelor's pad, filled with the colors of red and black. Two stories high, his wooden house was surrounded by large windows, giving all the inhabitants inside a good view into the outside world. Inuyasha also had a room decorated solely for his trophies and awards that he'd won, with posters lining up the walls with pictures of him with his car and the race tracks he'd been to.

Suddenly, Inuyasha's phone started ringing, bringing him quickly out of his reverie. Reaching into his back pocket, Inuyasha pulled it out and looked at the caller before flipping the phone open.

"Hey, Miroku," he said, leaning back again into the black chair.

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Just planning a party with Kikyo."

"Oh, that sounds like fun," Miroku said sarcastically. "Let me guess, it's at your house."

"Yeah."

"Yep, well have fun with that."

"Keh, shut up. Now what do you want?"

"I'm bored," Miroku said in an amused voice. "I was calling to let you know I'm inviting myself over, unless you and Kikyo are doing certain...things?" His voice ended in his perverted tone. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"No, she's going to leave soon anyways. She has stuff to do."

"Great! I'll be over in twenty minutes then. And I have something to show you."

"What is it?"

"Eh, I'd rather just show you. Bye Yashi!"

"Whatever," Inuyasha answered and flipped his phone shut.

"Who was that?" Kikyo asked, walking back into the room. She sat down on the arm of the chair Inuyasha was sitting on, leaning back so that she was side-to-side with him.

"Miroku. He's coming over soon."

"Oh, well that's good," Kikyo said, smiling down at Inuyasha. "But I have to head out, okay? Dinner with my mom. I'll call you tonight." She leaned down and kissed him fully on the lips, her lips moving with his as he kissed her back.

She pulled away and smiled again.

"I love you," she said, then stood up and started walking away.

Inuyasha followed her to the front door and opened it for her, giving her a quick kiss before saying, "Bye, Kikyo."

She gave him a weird look, which Inuyasha knew was the 'why don't you say I love you too?' before walking down the pavement and into his driveway.

Inuyasha shut the door and leaned back against it. Another thing about Kikyo; she never really quite understood how he was never one for words. It was all actions.

_Oh well,_ Inuyasha thought as he took off his necklace, _she'll get it soon enough_.

Feeling his features change, Inuyasha took a quick look at his reflection in a mirror and grinned, his fangs poking through. Instantly he could feel, smell, and hear a lot better then he just did a second ago. The ears on the top of his head twitched at the different sounds around him.

Thinking now would be a good time to go for a jog before Miroku got to his house; Inuyasha opened his back door before taking off into his backyard, thankful he wore sweatpants and a loose shirt that day.

Feeling the wind rip through his hair felt good to Inuyasha. He didn't even bother putting his shoes on, adoring the feel of the grass on his bare feet.

Inuyasha loved being part demon, but hated that he couldn't share it with anyone. The rules are that since there aren't many demons in the world these days, they had to remain secluded. It has been that way for a long time and Inuyasha hated it.

He hated the feeling of having to feel like he had to be locked up. He didn't know any other demons besides his family-who now was just his brother that he hated-and there's no way he could tell Miroku or Kikyo or anybody else. They would probably be disgusted with him.

_But with Kikyo soon moving in…_, Inuyasha thought, _I'm going to have to be human and stay that way._

Inuyasha sighed as he made his way through the trees. He knew it was going to be difficult, but Kikyo was worth it. Maybe during the night he could sneak out and have his freedom as a half-demon…

It didn't take long for him to reach the stream at the end of his property. This was one of his favorite spots. Sitting down on the ledge and rolling up his pant legs, Inuyasha slipped his feet into the water, watching as the tiny fish swam away from the intruder.

Leaning back on his hands, Inuyasha looked up at the sky, thinking about the race in six days. He would be boarding a jet on Friday and then they would be on their way to Italy.

Thinking back on the last couple of years at the track they were going to go to, Inuyasha couldn't help but smile at himself at the memories of winning came flowing through his head.

_And Kagome won't have a chance_, Inuyasha thought, as his head started to visualize the small girl.

Minutes passed as Inuyasha started to remember the last time he saw Kagome before realizing that Miroku was going to be over soon.

Standing up out of the water, Inuyasha rolled back down his pants before taking off into a sprint, the adrenaline of going this fast coursing through his veins.

Sprinting like a demon was like racing. The faster you went the more high you got off of the speed, which to Inuyasha was the greatest feeling in the world. It's like being invincible, and that's what attracted Inuyasha to racing first; because of the connections between racing and being a demon.

Heading back into his house, Inuyasha realized he made it just in time as he heard Miroku's car pull up into his dirt driveway.

Quickly putting his necklace on, Inuyasha felt the changes go through him once again just as he heard the front door open.

"I'm here!" Miroku called.

"In the main room!" Inuyasha called back, sitting down on his chair and propping his feet up on the coffee table.

Miroku appeared from around the corner, carrying a laptop. He took a seat on the couch where Kikyo was sitting earlier. He opened up the laptop and immediately started typing.

"What'd you want to show me?" Inuyasha asked as he took his feet off the table. He leaned forward and clasped his hands together, watching as Miroku clicked through a couple of things, but not seeing what it was.

"Today I was searching through the internet," he said as he continued clicking, "Not looking stuff up about Sango mind you, and I found some background stuff on Kagome I thought was pretty interesting."

"Keh, you would be stalking Sango," Inuyasha remarked with a smirk.

Miroku glanced at him before looking back at the screen. "I was more…looking up our competition. But anyways," he continued, finally turning the screen towards Inuyasha who leaned forward a little bit more, "Read this page on Kagome's father."

_Akito Higurashi-A Short Bibliography_

_Higurashi was born in Tokyo, Japan, not knowing that he was destined to race in the Formula One league until he was in his late teens. Pursuing his dream at a late age was difficult for the young man, but he managed to pull through and qualify for the league that was vastly growing in popularity around the world._

_His first couple of years were filled with disappointment after disappointment. He continued racing, however. "I do it for the pure joy of it," he had said into his eighth year running, "I don't care about stats. As long as I'm doing it, that's winning to me."_

_It wasn't until his ninth year into the season where things started to pick up for the 31 year-old. He started that year winning a total of four races in the season, which is amazing to someone who previously won nothing._

_When interviewed, he had said it was his family that put him up ahead. "With all the support they give me, it's no wonder I'm finally moving along. They come to every one of my races, and even my little girl wants to be a racer too."_

_His words were obviously sincere and heartfelt, and his family was always seen cheering him on. I had the chance to meet them, and the love that family had the support they gave their husband and father was incredible._

_It was in his tenth year where Higurashi finally pushed himself and won the Shikon Cup. Placing high in the points that year, it was obvious Higurashi was proud of his achievements. "This is all I've ever wanted," he said after just receiving the trophy in August, "My racing dream is finally complete."_

_And complete it was, for in the next year of his racing was when the terrible accident that occurred that will forever remain in so many people's hearts. Coming around a turn at the Shikon Circuit, after having done incredibly well once again that year, Higurashi made too sharp of a turn and went straight into the back of another car. The pictures say enough, but by the time the paramedics came onto the track, it was too late._

_Akito Higurashi was a man of great value, he was a man that is so hard to find, from the way he valued his family above all else to the way he patiently made his way through his career, he will forever be remembered as the man who showed that no matter how good you can be, racing can easily turn into something dangerous._

"Wow," Inuyasha said, leaning back into his chair and looking at Miroku.

Miroku nodded and turned off his computer, before leaning back also. "I know, did you see the pictures? That crash was horrible. I don't know how their family went through it."

Inuyasha nodded, his eyes blankly staring at the table in front of him.

"It's horrible to think that they were there watching it. And it was such a simple mistake too," Miroku said. "But I remember hearing Kagome's last name somewhere, and now I found it. I remember listening on the TV about it, it was talked about for years."

Inuyasha nodded, faintly remembering but not really. He vaguely remembered Kagome's father's name, but nothing else.

"What I want to know is," Miroku said, "How can Kagome race? After seeing that?"

"Keh, she's got a thick skull."

"That…and a lot of guts. I know I wouldn't be able to do that if I saw someone close to me die."

"Speaking of which though," Miroku continued, his voice suddenly becoming a lot cheerier, "I saw you walking Miss Kagome home the other day. Care to explain that?"

"What's it to you?" Inuyasha said, glaring at his friend, "I was just walking her home, nothing else. Enough said." He crossed his arms defiantly.

"Mmhmm," Miroku said, then tapped his chin thoughtfully. "She looks a lot like Kikyo in a way…"

"Not really," Inuyasha said, "But how was that girl you picked up?"

Miroku looked lost for a second before remembering, "Oh! You mean Yvonne? Oh, she definitely had it _all_, if you know what I mean."

"So…did anything happen?" Inuyasha asked, watching as Miroku gaze lingered off into his own dream world yet again.

"Mm?" he asked, snapping out of it, "Oh, no. We just talked. Turns out Sango walked by and I couldn't resist."

"Resist what?" Inuyasha said, already knowing what the answer was. "You didn't grab her ass, did you?"

Miroku let out a nervous laugh then nodded. "It worked on Yvonne, why not Sango?"

"Keh, you sure are stupid Miroku."

"I'm telling you, it has a mind of its own," Miroku said, lifting up his hand and staring at it, flexing it for good measure.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "So what did Sango do? After you touched her?"

"…slapped me…"

Inuyasha started full out laughing as soon as the word left Miroku's mouth and his face turned red.

"You never learn, Miroku."

Miroku shrugged. "Oh well, plenty of fish in the sea."

"Not enough for you."

"Inuyasha, I'm hurt!" Miroku said despite the large smile on his face. "Anyways, you got your tickets set for this weekend? Italy is one of my most favorite places to go to….besides Germany of course, where people can go naked on the beaches if they want!" Miroku's eyes glazed over yet again at the new thoughts that entered his mind.

Inuyasha leaned forward and smacked him on the head. "Snap outta it. And I doubt they really do that in Germany."

"Well that's what I've read," Miroku said, defending himself. "We've never stayed there long enough for me to go check it out."

"Well how about this, this year we go a day early to relax at the beach. And you can drool over all the bodies."

"Yeah!" Miroku exclaimed. "That'll be fun! And maybe we can invite Sango and Kagome with us!"

Inuyasha glanced at his friend. "I doubt Kikyo would like that," he said.

"But _you_ would," Miroku suggested, smirking at his friend and swinging a finger at him for effect.

"Keh," Inuyasha said, his face instantly turning red at the thought of Kagome in a bathing suit_. I'm turning into Miroku…figures. Hanging out with the pervert too much._

"Why doesn't Kikyo like them?"

Inuyasha half-shrugged, "I guess she doesn't like that a girl is racing or that Sango does the dirty work for car repairs and all that."

Miroku sighed. "You got yourself a high-class girl, Yashi," he said.

"Shut up," Inuyasha snapped, always hating that name.

"Eh, oh well," Miroku continued, "I guess I wont see dear Sango in a bikini…or even better…naked!"

Inuyasha watched as Miroku was lost in his thoughts again. He only grinned at his friend and relaxed into his chair, going into his own dream-world, thinking about the feisty racer who now was always on his mind.

She had mentioned her father was the reason she got into racing…but wouldn't that make her _not_ want to race? If she saw her dad die?

_Just another reason to talk to her again_, Inuyasha thought with a small smile.

* * *

"Wow, you've gotten really popular," Sango remarked as they walked out of the mall.

Kagome nodded and gave her a small smile, thankful they finally got out of the shopping center.

The day started off with the two of them planning to go shopping, which went rather well. Although they both were never into the whole 'get dressed up everyday' kind of thing, they decided they needed some nice clothes and other clothes that can get dirty when they're handling with the car.

Afterwards, when they bought a couple of dresses each, and a lot of plain t-shirts and shorts, they headed to the mall café, where someone noticed Kagome.

It was a little girl. She came running up to where Kagome was sitting with a pen and paper in her hand. Kagome couldn't resist the cute smile on her face.

"Will you please sign this?" she asked. "You're so cool!"

Kagome smiled and quickly signed her name. However, a lot of other people started to notice too. And eventually there was a huge crowd around where she was sitting, asking for pictures and autographs.

And being the nice girl she was, Kagome couldn't say no.

"I've only been in one race too…" Kagome said thoughtfully.

"Think about how it's going to be in another month..."

Kagome groaned at the thought. She was never one for too much public attention. She used to worry she'd turn into someone like Inuyasha.

At his name, Kagome smiled, thinking of the man who she only knew for a couple of days, but seemed like she'd known him her whole life. He was definitely an enigma, leaving her on her toes around him. How one moment he could be the nicest person in the world and in a quick second could change his mind and become an arrogant jerk.

But there was something about him...something that entranced Kagome. She couldn't figure it out, but the way her stomach jumped every time she locked eyes with him, the way his eyes glazed over when he was remembering something from the past or when they sparkle when he laughs, and the defensive way he stood with his arms crossed, giving off the impression he was not to be messed with, but his eyes saying so much more...it all fascinated her.

Kagome found herself always coming back to thinking about Inuyasha. But he was her good friend, so in a way, she was allowed to. Right?

Finding herself back in reality, Kagome looked at Sango who was now driving them home. She looked far away with a small smile on the corner of her lips.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Kagome asked, grinning at her friend.

Sango blinked her eyes and blushed, not even looking at Kagome.

"Nothing, why?"

"Hmm," Kagome said, still having the mischievous grin on her face. she tapped her chin lightly, leaning in towards her friend. "You're not thinking about _Miroku _are you?"

Sango got ten times redder at the mention of the pervert's name.

"I knew it!" Kagome exclaimed, lightly clapping her hands in excitement and leaning back into her seat with a triumphant smile.

"W-well, maybe I was, so what?" Sango retorted, "You're the one thinking about Inuyasha!"

It was Kagome's turn to blush. The smile instantly vanished from her face.

"Yeah, see? You were."

"Whatever," Kagome said, "So you excited for Italy?"

"Nice subject change," Sango said sarcastically. "But yes, I am. Going to buy my tickets tonight. Hopefully I can get on the same plane as you."

Kagome nodded and smiled, thinking of Italy. She'd never been there, but she'd seen the pictures from online and the TV when a race was being held. The track was difficult, but do-able. If she kept her focus she would beat Inuyasha.

"Hey, maybe Miroku will be on the plane with us!" Kagome said, smirking.

Sango's face once again blushed a dark red. Kagome only laughed.

* * *

Sooo...EEK _

So sorry, once again. Well you see, these past 2 weeks have been really super busy, and last night I just moved into my first year of college. Woo! I love it, just so damn hot right now :(

But I'm sorry, please keep up the reviews!! I love 'em all. And since I'm so dead tired right now and have to wake up early tomorrow, I'm not gonna put up who reviewed, but just know I read every one and they were wonderful. THANK YOU!!

Nex chapter is gonna be fun :P

K, bye bye!

_~Every Heart~_


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